The Lion King V: Man Comes to the Pride Lands
by Asante
Summary: Peace settles over the Pride Lands with the arrival of Simba's grandchildren but, on the horizon, a new potential danger looms as a creature far more dangerous than the lion encroaches on the kingdom. Can Simba make peace with the strange upright standing animal or will he have to destroy the monster known throughout the lands as the Lion Hunter?
1. Chapter 1

**The Lion King:**

**The Legend Continues**

_**Book 3**_

By Asante

* * *

**Note: **The following is the recommended reading order of my fan fiction novels and short stories:

_The Lion King: A Father's Concern _**(short story)**

_The Lion King: Sarafina _**(short story)**

_The Lion King: Mheetu _**(short story)**

_The Lion King III: The Lost Prince _**(book)**

_The Lion King IV: The Rogue Pride _**(book)**

_The Lion King: Responsibilities _**(short story)**

_The Lion King V: Man Comes to the Pride Lands _**(book)**

You can find all my fan fictions on my profile page. Technically, _Responsibilities_ takes place before _The Lost Prince_ but I recommend reading _Responsibilities_ last and then _Man Comes to the Pride Lands_ because _Responsibilities_ is a midquel of_Mheetu_ with a final section that takes place after _The Rogue Pride_, so it will probably spoil some of the plot for _Mheetu_,_The Lost Prince,_ and _The Rogue Pride_.

* * *

Prologue

Morning light rose beyond the horizon and Asante had to shield his eyes. He stood by his mother and older siblings as his father Simba walked up the platform that jutted out from the base of the mountainous kopje. Standing proudly on the throne, the Lion King surveyed the approaching beasts that had arrived to pay homage to the royal family's newborns. Once Simba was satisfied that the entire kingdom had arrived, he looked over his shoulder and gave the royal advisor a nod.

Rafiki carried a pair of week-old cubs in his arms, born only days apart. Their eyes had only just recently opened and they blinked in confusion as they were brought up to the edge of the throne. One cub was a light brown male with golden-brown eyes and the other was a white furred female with bi-colored eyes, one blue and one green. One would need to look very closely at their eyes to see the color because most of their irises were veiled in dilated pupils, their newborn eyes unaccustomed to the light. The old primate took a deep breath, already fatigued without his walking stick. It was only a year ago that he had presented Asante to the kingdom. On that day, Rafiki was able to hold Asante up in the air so all the creatures could see but now the aging monkey could only turn the new cubs slightly in his arms.

A congratulatory cheer spread among the Pride Land citizens upon receiving the modest glance at the cubs.

Asante heard a soft clicking and looked down at his brother's foot. Kopa was tapping his claws impatiently, a look of anxiety on his face.

"Dear?" Vitani said, nuzzling Kopa's cheek. "Are you all right? You look nervous."

"He's holding our daughter at the edge of a cliff, of course I'm nervous," Kopa grumbled.

"He's also holding my son but Kovu and I are calm," Kiara pointed out.

"Yes, because we trust Rafiki," Kovu added, nuzzling Kiara.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kopa muttered.

"They're coming back," Asante noted.

"Oh thank the Great Spirit," Kiara suddenly gasped.

Kopa gave his sister a sardonic look. "Really? That's you being calm?"

Rafiki and Simba returned to the base of the throne. "Here they are, little Mufasa and Nyota," Rafiki said chidingly. Kiara and Vitani eagerly took their respective cubs.

Simba smiled at Kiara as she retrieved her brown furred son. "You named him after my father?" he asked, eyes twinkling.

Kiara lowered herself to the ground and cradled her infant son in her arms. She looked up at her father and smiled. "Even though Grandfather isn't here physically, he still brought us all hope and guidance. I wanted to honor him for watching over us."

"Look at you," Nala purred to Nyota. "So fair, you're a little bundle of good fortune."

"They say a cub can only be born with white fur if both parents have white lions in their ancestry," Vitani noted once she was settled with Kiara on the ground. She rubbed her cheek against her daughter, purring lovingly. "That's why they're so rare."

"Wow, wow, wow," Kopa protested when Rafiki approached his wife and child with a cracked gourd containing anointing juice. "Is that stuff hypoallergenic?"

"Kopa, stop pestering Rafiki," Simba laughed. He noticed Asante sitting several feet from the rest of the family. Leaving the shamanic primate to anoint his two grandchildren, Simba stepped away to see if his younger son was all right. "Don't you want to meet your niece and nephew?" he chided.

Asante looked up at Simba and smiled timidly. "Maybe in a little bit," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around one of Simba's forelimbs. "They're not going to call me Uncle, are they? I don't feel old enough to be called that."

Simba leaned down and licked Asante's cheek. "We'll figure that out in time." Smiling affectionately at Asante, Simba then looked at the rest of his growing family, feeling a sense of peace more profound than anything he'd ever experienced.

* * *

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 1

Five cubs were gathered on one of the lounge boulders surrounding Pride Rock. Asante was the oldest of this small group at a little over one year in age. The second oldest at ten months was Tojo and Tama's daughter Uzuri, who was born shortly after the defeat of Adui and his gang of murderous rogues. She was near the same size as Asante with tannish fur and blue eyes. The next cub was Mheetu and Madoa's son Faraji, an eight-month-old with light beige fur, dark brown eyes, and a black tuft of mane. Though younger than Asante, Faraji was an early bloomer who stood a couple of inches taller than his older cousin. The fourth oldest at five months was Timira and Babu's son Timir, a golden furred cub with bronze eyes and a small tuft of cream-colored mane. And the youngest of their quintet was Afua and Boga's son Bado, a three-month-old cub with light brown fur and ochre eyes.

"I'm telling you, Sante, your cousin is driving me crazy," Uzuri grumbled.

"Which cousin?" Faraji asked. "Not _me_?"

"No, the other one," Uzuri specified.

"You mean one of my brothers?"

"I mean Mufasa!" Uzuri snapped. "That kid won't leave me alone!"

Asante sighed. "Fasa's not my cousin, he's my nephew," he corrected Uzuri, referring to Kovu and Kiara's son by his diminutive nickname.

"Oh whatever," Uzuri grumbled. "No one can keep track of your crazy family tree anymore."

Asante's ears pricked up at the sound of several Pride Land animals gathered at the base of Pride Rock. He stood on tiptoes to see what was happening.

"It's just the Palaver," Faraji noted. "They never talk about anything interesting."

"What's a palaver?" Bado asked, climbing on Faraji's back and nipping playfully at his ear.

"A really long and boring talk," Timir explained to his younger cousin.

"The Great Palaver is when all the animals in the kingdom come to Pride Rock to discuss all the problems they have and try to figure out solutions," Asante explained.

Bado tilted his head. "What kind of problems?"

Several yards away, out of earshot of the five cubs…

"We have had it with you using our territory as your bathroom!" A zebra named Lemuta shouted. "Your poo is bigger than our foals!"

Herr Rhino glared at the zebra indignantly. "I poop nowhere near your foals!" the rhino declared in a mustard thick German accent.

Simba rubbed his eyes wearily.

"So this is what we have to look forward to when we become the kings," Kopa sighed jadedly, sitting next to Kovu and watching the animals bicker while Simba tried to mediate. Vitani and Kiara were currently with Nala overseeing the hunting lessons for the adolescent females. In the past year, both future kings had hit their physical peaks and now stood several inches taller than Simba, their physiques bulkier than the king's figure. Additionally, they had grown thicker manes that grew past their chests to their midsections. Kopa's chin had grown scruffy while the fur on Kovu's muzzle had grown out to resemble a beard.

"When my mother was training me to overthrow Simba and become king, she never mentioned this part of the job," Kovu noted. "You know, I've been thinking about your offer to rule the Pride Lands together and, while I'm thankful of course, I'm not so sure…"

"You already accepted," Kopa noted darkly. "Don't even think about backing out now because I'm not dealing with this stuff on my own!"

"Herr Rhino," Simba sighed, "I've been to see the…" Simba gulped back his disgust. "I've been to see the zebra territory and there's no mistaking the scent I found. You're clearly crossing land boundaries to – well, you know. Now, why can't you find a section of your own territory to – do your business?"

"Blödsinn! You will not tarnish my reputation with outlandish falsities!"

"Did he just call my dad a blödsinn?" Kopa scoffed. "How dare he… wait, what's a blödsinn?"

"Simba," Kovu called.

The king looked wearily over his shoulder at the two younger males. "Yes, Kovu?"

"Why don't you allow me or Kopa to handle this one?" the king's son-in-law offered.

Simba smiled appreciatively. "I'd be very thankful," he noted, leaving Lemuta and Herr Rhino to their loud argument.

"Not it," Kovu said, grinning at Kopa.

"Huh?" Kopa grunted. His eyes widened and he gave Kovu a murderous glare. "Oh you son-of-a…"

"Off you go," Kovu chuckled, giving Kopa a light nudge towards the quarreling animals.

Kopa stopped in front of the rhino and zebra. The two of them paused their argument and looked at Kopa in unison. "So this must be hell," Kopa noted glumly.

Back where the cubs were lounging, Asante was explaining the rules to the game he'd invented. "Okay, so each of us will draw a straight line in the ground – one at a time." Asante demonstrated, scratching a line in the dirt with his claw. "The next person does the same thing and, one by one, we'll keep adding lines until we draw a complete picture."

"A picture of what?" Faraji asked.

"That's the catch, we won't know what we're drawing until the lines start coming together."

The other four cubs stared at him blankly. "That sounds really weird," Uzuri noted.

"Just give it a try," Asante grumbled.

Timir went next, followed by Faraji, then Bado, and lastly Uzuri.

"Oh hey, it kinda looks like Pride Rock," Bado explained.

"Bado!" Asante protested. "Don't say that, now everyone's going to try and make it into a picture of Pride Rock."

Bado stared at Asante uncomprehendingly. "But isn't that the point of the game, to figure out what we're drawing?"

"Not until the picture's finished," Asante explained.

"How can we finish the picture if we don't know what we're drawing?" Timir pointed out.

"That's the whole point of the game," Asante declared in a flustered voice. "Otherwise, it's not a game, we'd just be drawing a picture."

"But we _are_ drawing a picture," Uzuri pointed out.

"Oh forget it!" Asante shouted, standing up and lumbering off to where Simba, Kopa, and Kovu were overseeing the Great Palaver.

"I'm confused," Faraji said.

"Join the club," Uzuri mumbled.

"Uzuri!" another youngster called as he approached.

"Oh no," Uzuri groaned, recognizing the voice.

Mufasa, or Fasa as nearly everyone called him, hurried over to the group of cubs, making a beeline for Uzuri. At four months, Kovu and Kiara's son was half the size of Uzuri. His tuft of mane had grown in but it had not yet darkened and was still the same color as his light brown pelt. The small cub took a seat by the larger female cub. "Hi, Uzuri," Fasa said warmly.

Uzuri regarded the prince jadedly. "Hey, Mufasa," she mumbled unenthusiastically.

"So, I was wondering if you wanted to go see the Buzzard Boyz concert with me…"

"Mufasa, I thought we talked about this," Uzuri groaned.

"We did," Fasa conceded, "but I've been thinking about it and, while you may be half a year older, Timir and Bado's grandpa Mega was three years older than their grandma Sabini, so really, age isn't all that important…"

Uzuri buried her head under her arms and moaned loudly.

Back at the Palaver, Kopa tried unsuccessfully to cut into the argument between Lemuta and Herr Rhino.

"You think no one is brave enough to stand up to you just because you're so big and have that bulbous schnozzle horn," Lemuta spat, "but I'm here to burst your egomaniacal bubble, you fat walking explosive bout of diarrhea!"

"Du kannst mich mal!" Herr Rhino retorted.

"SHUT UP!" Kopa roared.

All the animals crowded around Pride Rock were taken aback by Kopa's outburst.

"Just shut up all of you!" Kopa continued to rail. "You," he said as he whirled on Herr Rhino, "no more taking dumps in the zebra territory!" He spun around to face Lemuta. "And you, stop antagonizing animals ten times your size!"

"Okay," Kovu interjected in a diplomatically calm voice, hurrying over and moving in front of Kopa. "What my colleague means to say, with all due respect, is that we are all clearly troubled by this situation and, instead of pointing fingers and name-calling, perhaps we should try and put ourselves in the other person's shoes."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kopa scoffed. "That's not what I was saying at…" Simba pulled Kopa back before he could finish speaking.

"Herr Rhino," Kovu intoned, "Clearly, you are embarrassed by what you've done, otherwise you wouldn't deny it so vehemently but you don't have to be embarrassed. We're all still your friends so you can be honest with us. Now, could it be that these – um, _episodes_ are all by accident?"

Herr Rhino lowered his head woefully. "Ja," he said.

Kovu paused for a moment. "I'm going to assume that means yes." He turned to the zebra. "Now Lemuta, considering you and Herr Rhino have been best friends since the king was a cub, maybe your first response should have been to ask if Herr Rhino was ill and not to ridicule him, don't you think?"

Lemuta sighed. "Perhaps." He looked at Herr Rhino. "Rhino, are you sick? Is that what's going on?"

Herr Rhino nodded. "Ja, when I visit you in zebra territory, I eat the pink leaves."

Lemuta rolled his eyes. "Rhino, I told you not to go near those."

"I know but they smell so good. After I eat them, I have just one accident…"

Lemuta narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, _two_ accidents," Herr Rhino conceded, "but that's all."

"Lemuta, why don't you take Herr Rhino to see Rafiki," Kovu suggested. "Maybe he has some medicine that can help settle your friend's stomach."

The zebra nodded. "Thank you, Kovu. I'm glad you're not holding a grudge over that 'disgrace' thing."

Kovu paused. "Disgrace?" Then, he remembered the zebra that called him "a disgrace" a year ago when Simba exiled Kovu, thinking he'd been a part of Zira's ambush. "Wait, that was you?" he snarled but the zebra and rhino were already walking off.

"Hey, Dad," Asante called as he scurried up to his father and older brother. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Crap," Kopa muttered.

"Kopa," Simba scolded.

"What?" The prince scoffed. "That's what we were doing? We were literally talking about rhino _crap_ for the last half hour."

Simba sighed and turned his attention back to the crowd of animals. "All right, does anyone else have a dispute or problem they'd like to bring forward?" When no one spoke up, the king smiled in relief. "Very well, you are all dismissed. Have a good day."

As the animals departed, Simba leaned down and nuzzled Asante.

"Don't look so proud of yourself," Kopa muttered to Kovu. "You successfully mediated a dispute over diarrhea. I doubt very much you're going to be bragging about that later to Kiara."

Kovu elbowed Kopa in the arm.

"Well, if that takes care of all that nonsense," Simba sighed, "I think I'll head out with Asante, Fasa, and Nyota for their lessons."

"Fasa," Kovu called out to the cubs nearby. "It's time for you to go out with your grandfather."

Fasa obeyed, much to the relief of Uzuri, and scurried over to his father, rubbing himself against Kovu's arm.

"Now where's Nyota at?" Kopa mumbled.

The cubs nearby let out a series of high-pitched screams and scattered. A white furred cub dashed onto the lounge boulder where they had previously been gathered, the fur on her back bristled as she cackled maniacally. "Yes, run, run for your lives!" the white lioness cub laughed.

"Ah, there she is," Kopa said calmly.

Nyota's bi-colored eyes landed on Timir and she bolted after him with a feral hiss.

"Why does she always go after me?" Timir cried out, dashing past the king and his family.

As Nyota hurtled by, Kopa grabbed her by the scruff of her neck with his teeth and lifted her up onto his back. "No fair," she mumbled.

"What was all the commotion?" Nala demanded as she, Kiara, and Vitani approached from the training field. "There were cubs fleeing in every direction."

Simba gestured to their granddaughter.

"Oh," Nala said, not requiring any further explanation.

"Good timing," Simba noted as his wife nuzzled herself against his side. "I was just on my way out with the kids."

Kovu settled down on the ground and Kiara nuzzled his cheek. "Tough day?" she asked.

"You have no idea," Kovu laughed, pulling Fasa up against his chest with a purr.

"Can we go now?" Asante asked.

"Yes," Simba said, rubbing Asante's head with his paw.

"You mind what your father tells you," Nala told Asante as she nuzzled him, "and keep an eye on Fasa and Nyota."

Still holding onto Kopa's back, Nyota was about to jump down when Kopa turned his head and kissed her loudly on the cheek. "Dad, come on!" Nyota protested in disgust. "This mushy stuff is not conducive to my image."

Kopa grinned at Vitani. "You hear that? She doesn't like mushy stuff."

"Oh, I heard," Vitani chuckled darkly.

"Wait a second," Nyota protested just before Kopa and Vitani snuggled her from both sides. "No!" she wailed. "Unhand me, this is child abuse! Curse you both!" She pulled herself out from between the sandwich hug of her parents and took shelter under Simba. "Let's get out of here," she demanded.

"We love you," Kopa and Vitani called in unison.

"Ack, it burns my ears!" Nyota hissed.

Simba couldn't help laughing. "It looks like we're off," he chuckled, ushering Asante and Nyota ahead of him. "Come along, Fasa."

Giggling, Fasa struggled out of Kovu's loving arms and hurried after his grandfather. Kovu and Kiara watched their son go with tender smiles on their faces.

"They're growing up too fast," Kiara sighed forlornly.

"Four moons and counting," Kovu agreed.

"Four moons?" Kopa scoffed. "No, it's been longer than that. It's been thirty-two moons." Everyone looked at Kopa blankly. "They're four months old, and there are eight moons in each month; the full moon, the waning gibbous, the first quarter, the waning crescent, the new moon, the waxing crescent…"

"Kopa," Kiara interrupted, "when people refer to moons as a measurement of time, they don't mean moon _phases_, they mean full moon _cycles_. It's been four _full moons_ since Fasa and Nyota were born."

Kopa was silent for a moment, blushing under his fur. "Oh."

Nala couldn't help giggling. "I thought someone would have corrected you by now. You've been making that mistake since the days when your father and I called you Fluffy."

"Sorry, what?" Kovu gasped, a grin spreading across his face.

Kopa's expression fell. "Mother, why?"

"Wait a second," Kovu laughed, "your nickname was Fluffy?" He let out a mocking laugh. "That is never going to get old!"

Kopa stared at Kovu darkly, one eyebrow cocked. "You know what else doesn't get old?" he asked scathingly. "Evisceration."

Kovu paused a moment, watching Kopa hesitantly. "You make a good point."

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 2**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 2

Rafiki snoozed on one of the upper branches of his baobab tree, his shaggy white mane lightly rustled by the wind. He scratched his cheek and turned over, curling up into a ball, unmindful of the stifled giggles below him. A hand similar to his own but with brown fur came out of the nearby leaves, a large white feather in hand. The mysterious trickster began tickling Rafiki's ear with the feather, causing the royal vizier to stir and pick at his ear to stop the itch. The trickster's hand disappeared back into the foliage with its feather. Rafiki sighed once the itch had been alleviated and settled back into slumber. As soon as he was still, the hidden baboon's hand popped right back out and tickled Rafiki's ear with the feather more intensely than the first time, causing Rafiki to shout in surprise and tumble off his branch. He fell through the foliage into his hovel, landing comically on his face.

"What?" Rafiki cried out, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. Lively chortles above caught his attention. "Who?"

"That trick gets you every time," another baboon declared in a deep voice, sticking his head from the leaves overhead.

Rafiki tilted his head as he gazed upward. "Kwashi?"

"The one and only," the rickety creature declared grandly, leaping down into the hovel. Though not as old as Rafiki, Kwashi was a venerable baboon very similar to Rafiki in appearance, except more bulky with a silver mane instead of white and brown fur instead of dark gray.

Rafiki stood up and stared at the other baboon in amazement. "Kwashi?" He let out an overjoyed cackle and leapt into the larger baboon's arms. "Rafiki can't believe it's you."

Kwashi warmly hugged Rafiki back. "It's good to see you too, my friend."

As the wiry baboon separated from the wobbly one, Rafiki looked Kwashi up and down. "You look exactly the same," he declared.

Kwashi gave Rafiki a once over as well. "Wish I could say the same for you," he chuckled. "By the Great Spirit, look at what these Pride Landers have done to you. They've worked you to the bone. You can barely stand."

Rafiki laughed and hobbled over to a wall where his cane was leaning. "Yes, time finally appears to be catching up with old Rafiki."

Kwashi's attention was drawn to a nearby wall decorated with Rafiki's art. "Ah, still the dreamer, I see."

"Dreams?" Rafiki scoffed, coming to stand beside his friend. "No dreams. These are reality."

Kwashi regarded Rafiki in surprise before looking at each drawing in turn. "So, this all really happened? My goodness, Rafiki, you've been quite busy."

Rafiki nodded. "Exhausting work," he admitted. "Rafiki loves Simba and his family but they are all so unpredictable. Yes, very exhausting work."

"But work to be proud of," Kwashi conceded, placing an affectionate hand on the smaller baboon's shoulder. "Even if it was for a bunch of bloodthirsty lions."

Rafiki chuckled. "They're not so bad once you get to know them."

Kwashi turned so he was facing Rafiki. "Well, it's time for the lions to release you from this exhausting work," he declared.

Rafiki stared at Kwashi in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Rafiki, it's time for you to come home."

* * *

"Our kingdom is not like others," Simba was explaining, taking a seat on a hill where he and the three cubs could survey the Pride Lands. "It all started with the First King's refusal to exile his sons as monarchs have done in other kingdoms. Over time, with each king's reign, other petty customs meant to drive wedges between members of the pride were discarded. With your fathers' generation, for instance, there was the implementation of coregency or shared leadership." Simba smirked. "This is a custom I wish I'd thought of – certainly would have saved me from a fair share of stress."

"But, if this tradition had already been set up, wouldn't that mean Great-Granddad and Great-Great-Uncle Scar could have ruled the Pride Lands together?" Fasa asked.

"No," Nyota said distastefully. "Only good kings can rule the Pride Lands. Right Granddad?"

Simba looked troubled. "It's an interesting question, I suppose. If my grandfather Ahadi had made it possible for my father and Scar to rule side by side, would Scar have turned out the way he did?"

"I think Scar still would have been a jerk," Nyota said bitterly. "Aunt Kiara said she would have been nice to Daddy even if she weren't going to be queen. Why couldn't Scar be nice to Great-Granddad?"

"Do me and Nyota really have to share the throne?" Fasa sighed.

"Yeah, we do," Nyota retorted. "Got a problem with that?" She narrowed her eyes at Fasa.

"Nope," Fasa yelped, hiding behind Asante fearfully.

"When you are king and queen, I want you to take care of each other," Simba said solemnly. "I want you to love one another and to listen to each another. Sharing the throne can't be a competition, otherwise the kingdom will be torn apart. Do you understand?"

Fasa and Nyota nodded.

"Promise me," Simba said, his face serious. "Promise me you will remain true to this kingdom and to one another."

Nyota glanced at Fasa and then up at Simba. "I promise."

Fasa nodded. "I promise, even if Nyota is a meanie."

Nyota stuck her tongue out at Fasa before looking back up to her grandfather. "What about Asante?" she asked. "What's he going to do?"

Simba looked down at his son. "Well, there was talk of him taking over Zazu's responsibilities," the king noted with a smirk.

Asante smiled sheepishly.

"But Asante can't be a majordomo," Fasa protested. "Majordomos are servants."

Simba nodded. "There is a position I think would suite Asante better. In ages past, the First King's son, King Asante I, established an order of warrior lions known as the Pride Land Knights, his two younger brothers being the first members. The order eventually disbanded, its members retiring to Rogue Haven during the peacetimes of Mohatu's reign. I've recently been working with the other males of the pride to reestablish this order."

"Wow, so Asante's going to be a knight?" Fasa exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

Asante looked up at his father. "Dad?"

"It's something I think you should consider," Simba explained, rubbing Asante's head with his paw. "Most of the adult males have begun training to become Pride Land Knights, including your grandfather Leo and your uncle Mheetu."

"So you want me to be a knight too?"

"I want you to be whatever it is you wish to be. Whatever you choose to do, we'll all support you."

Asante snuggled up to Simba. "I want to help Kopa and Kiara when they become king and queen," he asserted. "What would a knight have to do?"

"Serve your brother and sister when they ascend the throne. You would follow their instructions…"

"Like the majordomo," Fasa noted.

"Give advice to Kopa and Kiara when they need it..." Simba continued.

"Not so much like the majordomo," Fasa pointed out.

"Defend the rulers against attacks…"

"Nothing like the majordomo."

"We get it, Fasa, knights aren't the same as majordomos," Nyota groaned.

"So I would have to fight?" Asante asked.

Simba nodded. "If there was an attack on your brother, sister, or the Pride Lands, yes."

Asante nodded. "Can you teach me?"

Simba chuckled. "That would be the idea, yes; me, and also your brother."

"So, if Asante's going to be a knight, who will be majordomo?" Fasa asked.

Simba thought about it for a moment. "I was thinking of offering the position to Bhati, but I never got the impression she was particularly interested in the job."

"What about one of Zazu's kids?" Nyota suggested. "I mean, Zazu's mom Zuzu was majordomo before him, so wouldn't it make sense for one of his kids to be majordomo _after_ him?"

Simba smiled at his granddaughter. "Now, that's an idea."

As Asante leaned against his father's leg, he glanced off towards the Outland borders. "Um, Dad…"

Simba looked down at Asante. "Yes?"

"Who are those lions?" Asante pointed towards the border.

Simba looked up and gasped.

Two lions Simba had never seen before were strolling into the Pride Lands.

"Back to Pride Rock," Simba instructed.

The cubs didn't move right away.

"Now," Simba insisted, pushing the cubs towards the kopje.

* * *

"Ma, can I please get going now?" Timon groaned, trudging into the hollow where his family currently lived, located out in the oasis where Timon and Pumbaa raised Simba many years ago. "It's going to take a whole day for me and Pumbaa to get back to the Pride Lands."

"Have you finished helping your Uncle Max with the new tunnel," Timon's mother replied, preparing some insects for their supper.

"Yes," Timon declared, back hunched over in exhaustion.

"No," Uncle Max said at the same time, popping his head into the hollow.

"What are you talking about?" Timon wailed, spinning around to face his uncle. "We just finished the new tunnel two minutes ago."

"That was the _old_ new tunnel," Uncle Max explained. "I started the _new_ new tunnel one minute ago. Come on Sonny Boy, if we work hard, we can get it done in ten hours."

"Guys, I got to get back to the Pride Lands!" Timon explained in exasperation.

"Oh, what's so urgent you can't spend a little more time helping out your Uncle Max?" Ma said dismissively, bringing over a tiny wooden plate with Timon's food on it.

"A _little_ more time?" Timon scoffed. "You invited me over for five days, I've been here five _months_!" He glanced at the plate and frowned. "Ma, I told you already, I like the crunchy grubs, not the slimy ones."

Max rolled his eyes. "This is just typical. 'Come live in the oasis,' he said, 'we'll have everything we need there,' he said – when really what he meant was to hide his embarrassing family out here from his cool lion friends."

"That's not…" Timon trailed off. "Actually, yeah, that's pretty much spot on."

"We miss you, Timmy," Timon's mother explained, "and we want to spend more time with you, so just have a seat and eat something, you're skin and bones." She shoved one of the bugs into Timon's mouth, causing him to gag.

"Tell you what, help me finish the new tunnel and I'll give you a gift certificate for my tai chi classes," Uncle Max offered. "You can bring some of your friends from Pride Rock, as long as they agree not to eat anyone else in the class."

"Ma, Uncle Max, come on, I haven't even gotten a chance to see Simba's grandkids yet."

"Hold up," Uncle Max said, "Simba's a grandpa now?" He counted his fingers for a moment. "How old does that make us?"

Timon thought about it for a moment. "That's actually a good question. I thought our species was supposed to be really short lived. Hey Narrator, what's the big deal? You're completely disregarding the meerkat life cycle in this story."

Oh yeah, you're right. Okay Timon, let's make you a bit grayer and semi-crippled. Oh, and Uncle Max and Ma would have died of old age by now…

"Wow, wow, wow, no thanks. Let's just keep suspending disbelief in this case. Deal?" Timon turned to his mother and uncle. "Look, it was swell seeing you both but you know how things are in the Pride Lands. There's always a life threatening disaster that Pumbaa and me have to save Simba from. Without us, everything would just fall apart."

Ma sighed and set the plate down. "Fine, if you have to go help your lion friend run the kingdom, go do it. But just come around more often, okay?"

"Sure thing, Ma. I'll be back before you kno – ack!" Timon's mother hugged him tightly around the neck. "Ma – can't breathe…"

As Timon's mother reluctantly let go, Uncle Max caught him in a fierce hug as well. "I'll miss you too, Sonny Boy."

"Why is this family so bone-crushingly affectionate?" Timon gasped as Max squeezed his mid-section. Once released, Timon took a step towards the exit and felt a sharp pain in his back, his torso making an unpleasant cracking sound. "Ugh, what is that?"

Back pains.

"Why do I have back pains now?"

Come on, Timon, I can't suspend disbelief that much. Simba's a grandpa now, and you're older than Simba. That means you're an _old _meerkat now. Just be glad I let you keep your looks.

"I hate you so much, Narrator!"

* * *

Kopa grappled with Leo as the other males watched. For a brief moment, it appeared the prince would win the match but then Leo tripped Kopa up and knocked him onto his side. The brawny white lion lunged down as if to wrap his jaws about Kopa's neck – and then stood up, leaving the prince unharmed…

"Wow," Chumvi gasped.

"Lucky shot," Afua muttered.

Leo chuckled as he helped Kopa up. "How'd I do?"

"Not too shabby," Kopa conceded, nudging his grandfather playfully.

"You've all developed your combat skills very nicely," Kovu complimented the group. "If the Pride Lands are ever attacked again, Simba will undoubtedly send the lot of you to the front lines."

"What a delightful thought," Tojo said sarcastically.

"I can't believe Babu is missing this," Afua noted.

Kopa frowned. "I asked him to reconsider becoming a knight but he said that, after the battle with Adui and the other rogues, he'd had his fill of combat." Kopa sensed that Babu still felt conflicted over his motives for taking part in the battle the year before. "I'm glad everyone else could make it, though."

"Not everyone," Mheetu noted. "Where's Joe at?"

"My father doesn't view himself as knight-worthy material," Tojo explained. "I think he misses the days in Rogue Haven when all he ever did was eat, sleep, and…"

"Get hit by meteors?" Chumvi chuckled.

"Actually, the meteor incident was before he joined the Rogue Pride," Tojo specified.

"How can he miss Rogue Haven when he does the exact same thing here as he did there?" Mheetu demanded. "Every time I see Joe, he's either eating or sleeping."

Tojo smirked. "What can I say, my father's very consistent."

Though far off, all seven males heard Simba's roar.

"All right, Pride Land Knights, it looks like it's time to put your new skills to good use," Mheetu declared.

Some moments later, Simba crested the hill ushering Asante, Fasa, and Nyota ahead of him.

"Dad, what's going on?" Kopa asked, hurrying to meet Simba.

"Rogues," Simba explained breathlessly. "They came from the Outlands."

"Father, protect the cubs," Mheetu instructed Leo before hurrying to Simba's side.

"Papa Leo!" Fasa whimpered, scurrying over to his great-grandfather and hiding behind the burly white lion's leg.

"There, there," Leo soothed, nuzzling Fasa and Nyota. "You're both safe now, no need to be scared."

"I'm not scared," Nyota protested indignantly.

"Dad?" Asante asked.

"Go over with your grandfather," Simba instructed.

"But I want to help," Asante protested.

"You can best help by staying close to Fasa and Nyota," Simba explained. "If anything happens, they'll need your protection as well."

Asante reluctantly did as Simba instructed and hurried to where his grandfather was guarding the two other cubs.

"Someone needs to rally the lionesses," Chumvi suggested.

"I'll do it," Afua offered.

"Best hurry, Afua," Tojo suggested. "I see the rogues already."

"There's only two of them," Kovu pointed out as Afua took off towards Pride Rock, which loomed about a hundred yards behind them. "Certainly we can take care of them without the lionesses if they turn out to be hostile."

"There was only _one_ rogue when Adui showed up," Kopa pointed out. "We're not taking any chances."

The rogues were still far away, only discernible as two small outlines. One appeared to be larger than the other.

"Good idea having Leo stay back with the children," Simba whispered to Mheetu.

"I thought so," Mheetu whispered back. "He's fifteen years old now – much too old to be in any fight. I hate to say this about my own father but, if this were out in the wilds, he would be dead at least three years by now."

"You're not giving Gramps enough credit," Kopa interjected.

"Oh, so you didn't hold back in that last sparring match?" Mheetu replied pointedly.

Kopa shrugged. "Well, maybe a little but…"

"We'll talk combat grading later," Simba cut in.

Most of the lionesses arrived moments later, a select few left at Pride Rock to guard the rest of the pride cubs. The rogues were finally close enough to examine.

"Okay, we have one very young adolescent," Kovu noted, squinting towards the foreigners, "I'd say no older than three years. And the other one…" He lifted his paw up to shield his eyes from the sun. "He's a full grown male – but I can't really determine his age."

"What's happening?" Nala demanded, hurrying to Simba's side.

"Rogues," the king informed his mate. "Two of them."

Nala turned her attention to the strangers, who were gradually making their way towards Pride Rock. She narrowed her eyes at them, the larger outsider catching her notice. "Is that…?"

"Leo, I think you should take Sante, Fasa, and Nyota back to Pride Rock," Kovu suggested.

A year before, Leo would have said, "I'll miss all the action," in a petulant tone but the queen's father had grown wiser since then and now focused on protecting his grandson, great-grandson, and great-granddaughter. "Come along, children," he said consolingly, leading the three cubs away to safety. "Everything will be all right."

"If they're here to challenge me," Simba intoned, "you will…"

"We will inform them that there are two fully grown heirs in addition to a king in this pride and they will have to fight all three of us," Kopa interjected.

Simba was about to object when Nala suddenly called out. "Ni!"

There was a unanimous "Huh?" from almost everyone in the pride.

"Are you serious?" Kula demanded, hurrying forward. "That's Ni out there?"

"Who's…" Simba started.

"It is!" Nala laughed, suddenly bounding forward with Kula close behind.

The king stood with a blank look on his face. "What just happened?"

"Are Mother and Kula attacking the rogues?" Kiara asked.

"They're wagging their tails," Vitani pointed out, "so I don't think they're attacking."

"They're greeting Ni," Sarafina explained, walking up to where Simba stood.

Simba stared at his mother-in-law uncomprehendingly. "Who's Ni?"

"Nala's ex-boyfriend," Chumvi joked.

Simba gaped at Chumvi. "What!"

"Chumvi, stop that," Sarafina scolded. "Ni was a young rogue who came through the Pride Lands during Scar's reign, when Nala was still very young. They became good friends, that's all."

Simba let out a relieved sigh.

"Don't you remember, Dad?" Kopa said. "Mom told us about Ni back when I was a kid."

Simba thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Oh yes, I remember now."

"You should show Ni the utmost kindness," Sarafina added. "He saved Nala's life the last time he was here."

Some moments later, Nala and Kula returned with the two rogues, the queen presenting the older male to the pride. "Everyone, this is Ni, a dear friend."

Ni smiled awkwardly at the pride. "Um, hello. It's nice to meet you all." Up close, it was easier to estimate Ni's age. He appeared roughly thirteen years old – three years Simba's senior, though he was a bit short for his age. His fur was beige colored with a smooth dark brown mane and light brown eyes. He also had long beard-like fur on his chin and thick gray tufts of fur on his elbows.

Simba stepped forward.

"You must be the king," Ni noted, coming closer and bowing to Simba. "Nala just told me she was the wife of the present ruler. I'm glad to see she found such a suitable mate."

"I welcome you to the Pride Lands," Simba replied guardedly.

"Look at you," Chumvi said, coming closer and examining Ni. "Last time I saw you, you were covered in dirt. Someone force you to take a bath?"

Ni laughed. "It took me a while to get the hang of grooming. Look how big you are, Chumvi. I never expected you to become so husky."

Simba smiled a little at Ni. The king had to admit his mate's old friend was pleasant enough. Then, his gaze shifted to Ni's companion, a gruff looking adolescent with dark tannish fur, an auburn mane, and jaded teal eyes.

Noticing Simba observing his fellow traveler, Ni moved closer to the younger lion and said, "Allow me to introduce my adopted brother Hasira."

* * *

The sky was turning dark and Rafiki hurried through the grass, stopping at a riverbank and digging up several reddish stones, which he collected in a dish made from half a gourd. Once he was satisfied with the amount of stones, he took a large rock and started grinding the red stones into a powder. He was unmindful of two voices that approached along the river.

"Look, Timon," Pumbaa said, trotting over to the baboon, "it's Rafiki."

"Yo, how's it hanging you proverbial monkey's uncle?" Timon called.

"No time," Rafiki said dismissively, continuing to grind the powder.

"No time to say hello to friends?" Pumbaa asked, looking hurt.

Rafiki sighed and turned an apologetic smile to the warthog. "Fine, yes, Rafiki will make time for friends – but not too much time. I've something very important that needs to be finished before tomorrow morning."

"Why, what's going down tomorrow?" Timon asked.

"Rafiki is going home," the baboon explained, standing up and turning to face the king's aides. "It will be a long journey and I won't be returning."

"What?" Pumbaa said, eyes watering. "You're not coming back? But you have to come back."

Rafiki quickly hugged the warthog about the neck. "No tears, my gaseous one," the monkey chuckled. "Just because one travels away doesn't mean he won't see his friends again someday."

"Yeah, suck it up, Pumbaa," Timon instructed. "So Rafiki, where you going exactly?"

"That's a secret," Rafiki replied. "A secret between Rafiki and Rafiki's friend Kwashi."

"Squashy?" Timon laughed.

"Kwashi," Rafiki said sternly, lightly whacking Timon over the head with his stick.

"Ow!" the meerkat cried.

"Kwashi is very dear friend of Rafiki's – closest thing to a brother. I've waited a long time to see him again and we're going off together on a grand adventure."

"You know it confuses people when you switch back and forth from referring to yourself in first and third person," Timon pointed out.

"Will you say goodbye to Simba before you go?" Pumbaa asked.

Rafiki nodded. "Of course I will."

Timon noticed the bowl of red powder sitting at Rafiki's feet. "What's that for?"

Rafiki looked down and stooped to pick up the bowl. "Just something Rafiki needs to make one last painting," he said.

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 3

* * *

**Author's Note:** The mole at the beginning of this scene is the same one who reports to Zazu in the first film after "The Morning Report." He only had two lines in the original movie:

**Mole**: _"Zazu!"_

**Zazu**: _"Yes!"_

**Mole**: _"Sir! News from the underground."_

* * *

"And that concludes today's report, Your Highness," the mole declared.

"Thank you, Captain Mole," Simba said pleasantly, relaxing with the rest of the lions on the Pride Rock lounge boulders. "You've been very helpful while I try to locate a more permanent replacement for Zazu."

The mole bowed. "I live to serve, My Liege," he replied in a serious tone, "though I must admit, I hope you find a permanent replacement soon. Filling in for majordomo in addition to my regular duties has been strenuous. I don't think any of us really appreciated the hard work Zazu did until he retired."

Simba smiled faintly. "You make a sound observation."

"Captain Mole, I've been meaning to ask," Kiara said, "what are your regular duties?"

The mole turned to the princess and once again bowed. "I'm sorry, Lady Kiara, but that is classified information. Good day." With that, he popped back into the ground and burrowed away, the ground rising up in a curving line where the mole's underground trail formed.

Ni sat between Simba and Nala, watching the mole's departure with a bemused smile. "The animals appear much more trusting of the lions – at least more so now than when I came here all those years ago."

"I really wish you would consider staying, Ni," Nala said. "We could find a place for you and Hasira here in the Pride Lands."

"A permanent residence?" Ni chuckled. "No thank you, Hasira and I prefer the open road. After spending so much of our lives on the move, we're never comfortable staying in one place for very long."

Ni's adopted brother lounged several yards outside the circle of gathered lions. The lionesses had brought dinner in the form of two antelopes they'd hunted and the king insisted that Ni and Hasira take the first portions as honored guests. Hasira had declined. In his opinion, the king is the one who eats first, not a pair of visiting nomads. He found this pride's disregard for tradition a bit unsettling.

Asante had finished his meal and noticed Hasira relaxing on his own. "I'm going to give Hasira some food," he informed Simba.

Simba glanced over at the lone youth and nodded to his son. "Invite him to come join us," the king suggested.

Asante nodded and yanked a large scrap of meat off the kill to bring to Hasira.

Hasira lifted his head as the cub approached. "Can you tell your dad that I'm fine on my own but thanks for the invitation?" the larger youth requested.

Asante paused. "How…" he started to ask around the scrap in his mouth.

"I have good hearing," Hasira responded.

Asante came closer and set the meat down before Hasira. "We saved you some," Asante offered.

"Thanks," Hasira mumbled, accepting the meat and biting into it.

"So, are you from the Outlands?"

Hasira shook his head. "Further than that. My homeland is on the other side of the Outlands." He took another bite of his dinner.

"Really?" Asante gasped. "You lived that far away?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Hasira mumbled, finishing his meal.

"Yeah it is," Asante insisted. "The only other pride of lions that live close by is the one right on the other side of the mountains – and then a third one in Grass Walls that's even further away."

"I take it you Pride Landers don't travel much, then."

"No," Asante confirmed. "We've never gone beyond the Outlands – though my dad did live in an oasis on the other side of the desert."

Hasira nodded. "Ni and I passed through that oasis once. My homeland is even further than that."

"So why did you leave?"

Hasira paused, his expression turning hostile.

Asante realized his mistake. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that."

Hasira grunted and turned away.

"My dad told me about how other prides send their males away when they get older."

"That's not what happened to me," Hasira mumbled. "It would have, of course, but not in the way you think. My father was very kind but he was also faithful to the traditions of the pride – and those traditions said that males who were not the king could not remain in the pride once they came of age. So he prepared us, my brothers and me, trained us to fight and hunt when the time came. When my older brothers came of age, they left willingly with the skills they needed to survive."

"But you didn't?"

Hasira's expression hardened. "I wasn't of age yet when…" he trailed off.

"When what?"

Hasira looked gravely at Asante. "When the _Lion Hunters_ came."

Asante tilted his head uncomprehendingly. "Lion Hunters?"

"You believe lions are at the top of the food chain, don't you?"

Asante nodded. "That's what everyone says."

"I'm sorry to say this but they're wrong. There is one creature that is the lions' natural predator. That creature destroyed my home and killed everyone in my pride."

A chill ran down Asante's back. "How did you get away?"

Hasira lowered his head. "I hid and waited for the beasts to finish their hunt. They came at us with hollow sticks that shot sharp metallic pebbles, which moved through the air and ripped through flesh so fast you didn't realize you'd been hit until you saw your own blood. We didn't stand a chance. And when the Lion Hunters finished killing their prey, they didn't even bother to eat them. They just took the skins and left the rest of their prey to rot."

Asante was trembling now.

"When they finally left, I wandered off into the wilderness on my own, starving until Ni found me." Hasira looked over at the crowd of merry lions. "Can I give you a word of advice?"

Asante nodded jerkily.

"Don't take your family for granted. You have no idea how much you really love them – until they're gone." With those last words, Hasira stood up and walked away, eventually disappearing around a corner.

Asante sat still for several moments, his trembling eventually subsiding. Gasping, he spun around and rushed back to his father. "Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad…"

"By the Great Spirit, what's the matter?" Simba gasped.

"Do Lion Hunters really exist?" Asante asked.

Simba was taken aback. "What?"

"Where did you hear about Lion Hunters?" Ni asked, glancing at Asante in surprise.

"Hasira," Asante replied. "He said they killed his pride."

Ni sighed. "Excuse me, I think I need to have a word with Hasira." Rising up, Ni made his way from the crowd.

"Well are they real?" Asante insisted.

"Of course not," Nala explained, pulling Asante close and licking him affectionately. "Lion Hunters are just a scary story."

"But Hasira said…"

"I'm sure he was just trying to frighten you," Simba assured Asante, nuzzling him comfortingly, "just like when Nyota tries to scare the other cubs."

Nyota released a diminutive roar as she scurried up Simba's back and leapt up on his head.

"And like how she tries to scare the adults too," Simba chuckled, holding his head steady so Nyota didn't fall off.

"Are you sure they're not real?" Asante persisted.

"I'm positive."

"Wasn't there a story about the Great Kings of the Past defeating the Lion Hunters?" Kopa asked nearby. "I remember Dad telling me that story."

"No," Vitani objected, "let's not tell ghost stories. I don't want to scare the cubs."

"I'm not scared," Nyota protested.

"Me neither," Fasa said in a small voice, snuggling up against Simba's arm.

Feeling a little silly over how frightened he was before, Asante turned to Simba. "Come on, Dad," he urged. "Tell us the story about how the Great Kings of the Past defeated the Lion Hunters."

"I don't know," Simba said with a playful grin. "It's a very scary story. I don't think you really want to hear it."

"Yes we do!" Nyota declared, lightly batting Simba's mane from her perch on his head. "Tell us, Grandpa. Please!"

"Please Grandpa," Fasa joined in.

Nala gave Simba a smile that said, _you've done it now._

"Can we at least skip the scary parts," Kovu suggested. "It's going to be impossible getting Fasa to bed if we frighten him too much."

"I'm not scared," Fasa said in a whiny voice.

"Come on over here, Mister," Kiara beckoned her son.

Fasa left Simba's side and hurried over to his mother's arms.

"Hey, Mheetu," Kopa called, trying to catch his uncle's attention from the other side of the crowd.

"What?" Mheetu called back. He and his mate Madoa were overseeing their sons as they wrestled playfully.

"We're telling ghost stories over here. You want in?"

Mheetu shook his head. "We'll pass, thanks."

"I've got some scary stories," Leo declared, rising up and heading over to where Simba's party was situated, "and I promise they have nothing to do with my ancestors."

"You'll have to wait your turn, Father," Nala replied. "Simba's already got our attention."

"Are you sure the children are old enough for scary stories?" Sararfina asked, settling with Leo near Kovu and Kiara.

"They say they aren't scared," Kiara replied with a knowing smile.

"I bet," Sarafina chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I should start," Simba said, clearing his throat. "Long ago, before the First King came to the Pride Lands, there were creatures that roamed the Serengeti. They could walk on two legs with their backs straight, their torsos held vertically balanced whether they were sitting, standing, or walking. What's more, this animal had no fur of its own, its membrane bare to the elements. One of its customs was to peel off the skins of its victims and cover itself in the fur of others."

"Jeez," Kovu gasped. "That's messed up."

Several lions shushed Kovu.

"Sorry," he mumbled, cuddling up to Kiara and Fasa.

"These creatures hunted all manner of animal," Simba continued, "devouring everything from the smallest mouse to the largest elephant. They spread across the land like a brush fire, bringing terror to every kingdom. These rabid beasts tore down the very forests in their wake, attacking nature itself."

Nyota slowly inched her way down Simba's back and scurried over to Kopa and Vitani, huddling between her parents.

"The other animals sought out the lions and begged for their help. After all, lions were the kings of beasts, were they not? The lions were certain they could dominate this terror." Simba paused. "But they were wrong. These enemies easily vanquished the lions, turning what were once the mightiest of beasts into mere prey. It was then that we gave these invaders their name – the Lion Hunters."

Asante shivered and nuzzled up to Simba.

"King Kopa I lived in those times and fled the Lion Hunters with his family, seeking a place where they would be safe…"

"Great, so my namesake ran away?" Kopa scoffed. "If it had been me, I would have ripped those Lion Hunters apar… Ow!" Vitani had jabbed Kopa with her elbow.

"This was before his kingdom had been founded," Simba specified. "King Kopa sought guidance from the Great Kings of the Past and they directed him on a course that took him through many dangerous regions; deserts, swamps, wild jungles… Just when he thought he and his pride could go no further, they found it."

"Found what?" Asante whispered.

"The Pride Lands," Simba answered, smiling down at Asante. "The only region that had been spared from the Lion Hunters. Their hearts uplifted, King Kopa's Pride settled in the peaceful grasslands, believing they'd escaped their enemies forever." Simba sighed. "But once again, they were wrong. The Lion Hunters had followed King Kopa's Pride and crossed the border of the kingdom, sending trees crashing down in their wake."

"What did they do?" Fasa whimpered.

Seeing how scared Fasa was, Simba didn't continue. "Perhaps we should stop," he suggested, concern in his voice.

There was a unanimous "No!" from everyone in the crowd – except Asante who scurried into Simba's arms and huddled up against his furry chest. Nala moved closer and nuzzled her youngest to sooth him.

"All right," Simba sighed. "King Kopa begged the Great Kings for help. Now, it's almost impossible for the Great Kings of the Past to directly interfere with the world of the living but when they realized their descendants were at the brink of destruction, the Great Kings came together and called forth every ounce of power and authority they possessed. As the Lion Hunters came towards the fields where King Kopa and his family were gathered, the Great Kings conjured a mighty earthquake that split the earth open, many of the Lion Hunters falling into the chasm and vanishing into the abyss. In the center of the kingdom, a mighty rock sprung forth, aglow with flame and brimstone. Before it's majesty, the Lion Hunters that remained fled in terror and have never been seen in the Pride Lands since."

There was a moment of silence, Simba's tale seemingly ended.

"So that's the earthquake everyone talks about," Kopa said. "It's always mentioned that the First King lived in a time when a great earthquake struck the Pride Lands."

Simba nodded. "That's the story of how our pride came to live in the Pride Lands. After the defeat of the Lion Hunters, King Kopa I would then go on to defeat the first invasion of hyenas, banishing them to the newly discovered Elephant Graveyard. And later on, he would establish Rogue Haven."

"That stone you mentioned," Kiara interjected, "the one that sprung up in the center of the kingdom. That was Pride Rock, wasn't it?"

Simba nodded. "Once the earthquake settled and the mystical flames dissipated from the mountainous stone, King Kopa's Pride claimed it as their new home."

"What about the Lion Hunters?" Asante asked. "Were they gone for good?"

Simba looked down at Asante and shrugged. "That's what many hoped but there is no guarantee. Perhaps many years from now, or months, or days, maybe even this very night, the Lion Hunters could very well return."

Silence fell over the crowd and everyone shivered at the prospect.

"Hi everyone," Timon greeted loudly.

Startled by the unexpected voice, everyone in the pride let out simultaneous shouts of fright, including Simba.

Timon and Pumbaa stared blankly at the crowd. "Was it something we said?" Pumbaa asked.

"Damn it, Timon!" Kopa shouted.

Unable to help himself, Simba broke out laughing.

"Who are those guys?" Fasa asked.

Simba slowly got control of his laughter. "Welcome back," he said to Timon and Pumbaa. "Your timing couldn't have been more perfect even if it had been planned. Fasa, Nyota, come over here and meet my friends." As the two cubs came forward, Simba presented them to his best friends. "Pumbaa, Timon, these are my grandchildren."

"Can we eat them?" Nyota asked.

"No, you can't eat them," Nala chuckled.

Several dozen yards away, Ni and Hasira gazed at the Pride Landers.

"They think it's just a fairytale," Hasira mumbled, "but's it's not."

"I know," Ni sighed woefully. "But they don't need to know that."

"They should be warned," Hasira protested.

Ni gave his adopted brother a sad look. "What good would that accomplish? If the Lion Hunters do come to these lands, there wouldn't be anything the Pride Landers could do to stop them. The knowledge would only bring them fear and despair. Letting them live in blissful ignorance is the only kindness we can offer Simba's Pride."

* * *

Simba awoke in the middle of the night, sensing Asante scurrying out from between the king and queen. The venerable lion turned his sleep-fogged eyes towards the den's entrance as his youngest child headed outside. Careful not to wake Nala, Simba rose and followed after Asante. He took note of their guests Ni and Hasira, huddled together by the wall and sleeping soundly.

Once outside, Simba looked around until he discovered Asante crying behind a large stone. "Asante, what's the matter?" he asked tenderly.

Asante wiped his eyes in humiliation. "I had a nightmare," he whimpered.

Simba sighed. "Was it because of that story I told everyone?" the king asked. "Asante, I promise it was just a fairytale…"

"It's not that," Asante protested.

Simba moved closer and gently stroked Asante's back with his paw. "Then what is it?"

The cub looked up at Simba mournfully. "It was Grandma Sarabi."

Simba felt his chest tighten. His mother Sarabi had been murdered one year ago by a psychotic lion named Adui – and Asante had witnessed it. "There, there," Simba whispered, lowering himself and wrapping his forelimbs around the cub. Asante snuggled up into Simba's mane and whimpered as his father nuzzled him consolingly. "It will be all right," Simba assured Asante. "Everything will be all right."

* * *

When Asante awoke the next morning, his spirits had lifted. As he came out of the den, he noticed his parents at the base of Pride Rock speaking with an unexpected visitor.

"Zazu!" Asante cried out happily, rushing down the rocky hill to pounce the former majordomo. He skidded to a halt when he saw that there were in fact two hornbills – and they both looked just like Zazu. "Huh? Two Zazus?"

"Not exactly," Nala chuckled.

"Asante," one of the hornbills beamed, "look at how big you've grown."

Asante tilted his head at the hornbill that had spoken. "Zazu?"

"Of course," he said.

Asante looked at the other hornbill. "Then who's he?"

"Zeb," the other hornbill replied solemnly, puffing his chest out in a dignified manner. His voice was much more youthful than Zazu's and, looking closer, Asante was able to distinguish other differences between him and the former majordomo. Zeb was smaller than Zazu and had lighter blue feathers. There was also a dorsal crest of four light purple feathers along his forehead.

"Zeb is one of Zazu's sons," Simba explained.

"Really?" Asante said, looking at Zeb closely. "But, you and Binti were only married last year." He gestured at Zeb. "He looks older than me already."

"Yes, valid observation," Zazu conceded, lifting a wing pointedly as if he were about to give a lesson.

"Oh man," Asante groaned, "I shouldn't have asked."

"Life cycles vary from animal to animal, some maturing more quickly than others. Red Billed Hornbills or _Tockus Erythrorhynchus_, for instance, take less than a year to leave the nest. A female will incubate the eggs for no more than twenty-five days and remain in the nest to shelter the chicks for twenty-two more days, sealed up in a hole within a tree to better protect the chicks from predators while the father brings the mother and chicks food. Chicks remain in the nest until they are able to fly, usually staying with the parents for an additional six months before going off on their own…"

"Dad, I'm begging you," Asante moaned, "make him stop."

Simba smiled sympathetically at his son. "Um, Zazu…"

Zazu didn't notice the lions speaking and had continued his lesson on hornbill biology. "…Reaching sexual maturity between one and six years of age."

"Wow," Simba gasped, "okay, too much information, Zazu."

Nala laughed. "Zazu, go ahead and tell Asante the good news."

"What good news?" Asante asked.

"I've put in a request for the position of majordomo," Zeb responded in a snooty tone.

Asante stared at the younger hornbill. "Oh, that's – that's good news?"

"Of course," Zazu declared, wrapping a wing around his son's shoulders. "Zeb is the most responsible one of my chicks, Sire. You won't find a more worthy individual for the position."

Simba smiled at Zazu and Zeb. "I suppose I could give Zeb a trial run," the king conceded.

"Fantastic," Zazu declared.

"What would you have me do first, Your Majesty?" Zeb asked, bowing formally to the king.

"Well, you can start by being a little more at ease," Simba chuckled. "Your father is practically a member of our family, Zeb, which also makes you family. So you don't have to be so formal with us."

Zeb raised an eyebrow at the king. "I – I will try and do that, Sire."

"Come Zeb," Zazu said, "we must tell your mother and siblings. Oh, this is a proud day for our family." Taking flight, the former majordomo departed with his son. "Three generations serving the royal family!"

"This way, Fellas," Timon said, leading Ni and Hasira from the den.

"Did you enjoy your visit?" Pumbaa asked.

"Very much, thank you," Ni replied.

"Ni, you're making small talk with prey animals," Hasira scoffed unpleasantly.

Nala looked over her shoulder and smiled at the nomads. "Morning, you two," she greeted. "Where are you off to?"

"We're moving on," Ni replied pleasantly. "We've plans to reach the oasis beyond the desert and we need to get an early start."

"Really?" Nala asked in a saddened tone. "So soon?"

"You're free to stay for as long as you wish," Simba offered.

"Thank you but we never stay in one place for more than a day if we can help it." He stepped closer and nuzzled Nala briefly. "It was good to see you again, Nala." Turning to Simba, he bowed his head respectfully. "And it was a great pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."

Simba smiled. "Please come visit again," the king offered. "We've all grown very fond of you both."

"And remember," Timon chimed in, "no eating the meerkats at the oasis. Most of them are my relatives."

"Will do," Ni chuckled. He gave Simba and Nala one last bow before making his way down the rocky incline, Hasira following.

"Bye Hasira," Asante called.

The younger nomad glanced over his shoulder and gave Asante a curt nod before continuing on.

"A lot of folks leaving today," Timon noted.

Simba glanced at the meerkat in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Timon gestured towards Ni and Hasira as they made their way towards the Pride Land borders. "Well, those two, for one. And Rafiki's heading home…"

"Wait, Rafiki's leaving?" Simba gasped.

"Yeah, he told us when we got back," Pumbaa explained. "Said he and a friend were returning home."

"Home?" Nala mused. "Do you think he means Grass Walls?"

Simba thought about it. "I suppose. It's been a while since the drought broke and I believe Grass Walls is habitable again. But why hasn't Rafiki said anything about it?"

"Rafiki said he'd come by Pride Rock this morning to say goodbye," Pumbaa pointed out.

"But on such short notice?" Simba exclaimed, looking very disappointed.

"I don't know what to tell you, Buddy," Timon said sympathetically. "He said he and his friend would be going on some sort of adventure."

"Friend?" Simba muttered. "What friend?"

"Rafiki said the guy's name was Squashy."

"No, he said it was Kwashi," Pumbaa corrected.

"That's what I said," Timon asserted defensively.

Simba's eyes widened. "Kwashi? No, that can't be right?"

"Why not?" Nala asked.

"Kwashi was an old baboon Rafiki knew when he was a child. I mean, that's what he told me. He said Kwashi was his mentor – and that he passed away a long time ago."

* * *

Rafiki dipped his finger into a bowl of yellow powder and made one final dash to the image on the wall. "There," he sighed. He glanced up through the branches to the shafts of sunlight above. "Morning already? Rafiki should go say goodbye," he sighed, turning around and taking a step towards the branches that would lead out of the tree hovel. "Oh," he sighed, suddenly swaying. He placed a hand against a nearby bough to steady himself and slowly eased himself to the floor, leaning up against the wall. "Need to catch his breath, Rafiki does," he sighed.

Kwashi stood nearby, smiling gently at Rafiki.

"Not just yet," Rafiki said mildly when he noticed his mentor.

"Rafiki," Kwashi said tenderly, "it's time to go."

Rafiki sighed and rubbed his forehead. "But – but I must say goodbye."

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to you," Kwashi noted, taking a seat beside Rafiki. "Goodbye makes it seem like you'll never see them again. In time, we are all reunited at home in the arms of the Great Spirit."

Rafiki looked at Kwashi sadly. "I know that but…" He leaned his weary head against Kwashi's shoulder. "There is still so much work to be done. Kopa and Kiara need guidance, for there have never before been two heirs to ascend the throne at the same time. And little Asante does not yet know where he fits into the great scheme."

"We all go home without finishing all our work," Kwashi told Rafiki. "That is why there are others to take up the work for us. You continued my work when I left."

"But who will pick up where I leave off?" Rafiki asked.

"That is for the Great Kings of the Past to decide," Kwashi explained. "Whoever is meant to be the lions' guide and friend, the Great Kings will lead that one to the Pride Lands."

Rafiki closed his eyes, a tear trickling down his cheek. "I'm afraid," he whispered.

Kwashi took Rafiki's hand gently. "That's why I'm here," he whispered soothingly. "I will be by your side every step of the way."

"I just wish I could have seen him once more."

"Who?" Kwashi asked.

"Simba," the old monkey whispered. "He was my greatest achievement – and my most dear friend."

"I thought I was your most dear friend," Kwashi chuckled.

Rafiki laughed weakly. "Okay, one of my most dear friends."

Kwashi smiled affectionately at Rafiki. "Only a dreamer like you could have befriended a bunch of carnivores."

"Like I've said – they're not so bad once you get to know them."

"I wish I could have gotten to know them. They must be quite special if they've earned your love and friendship." Kwashi gently stroked Rafiki's cheek. "Just rest, my student," he whispered. "Rest."

Rafiki felt a heavenly warmth wash over him as Kwashi's gentle voice whispered in his ear. The room around them filled with beautiful golden light and he felt himself depart, rising up on legs imbued with new strength. Rafiki held Kwashi's hand as they walked towards several hazy figures. As the forms became clear, he recognized the faces of so many loved ones he'd not seen in ages. At the front of the welcoming crowd was Mufasa, smiling…

* * *

Simba trotted up to the immense baobab tree where Rafiki lived. "Rafiki," Simba called. "Rafiki, are you still here?"

There was no answer.

Taking a deep breath, the king leapt up and dug his claws into the bark, scrambling up the branches.

"Timon and Pumbaa told me you were leaving," he explained as he climbed up. "Why haven't you said anything?"

As he walked into the hovel, he scanned the area for the shaman. He stopped and sighed in relief. "There you are, I thought you might have left without saying goodbye."

Rafiki sat against the wall, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping. There was a content smile on his face.

"Are you still asleep?" Simba asked as he came closer.

The old mandrill didn't stir.

"Come on, wake up and tell me what this is all about," Simba instructed crossly, reaching out and gently shaking the shaman's arm. Rafiki's head wobbled limply and he did not wake. "Rafiki?" Simba whispered, his heart filling with dread. He shook the monkey more forcefully. "Rafiki, wake up!" he begged, tears filling his eyes. He gazed at the serene face of his lifeless friend and sobbed. "No," he wept softly, collecting the thin creature in his forelimbs and nuzzling him mournfully. "Not you too." He buried his face in Rafiki's white mane. "I need you. What am I going to do without you?"

As the king grieved, a shaft of light from the shifting sun broke through a parting in the branches and illuminated the nearby wall. Simba's tear-filled eyes were drawn to the vibrant painting, which depicted almost every lion in Simba's family; his children, their mates, his grandchildren, Nala, her family, Timon and Pumbaa, Zazu, Binti, their chicks - everyone Rafiki had come to know and love in the Pride Lands, emblazoned across the hovel wall in highly stylized representations. And at the top of the image was a baboon who appeared to be offering his stick to a figure Simba couldn't identify. It was a hazy form surrounded by a golden aureole, his or her indistinct hand or paw outstretched as if to receive the offered staff.

* * *

Rafiki's death devastated the kingdom. Every animal, both big and small, came to Pride Rock for the memorial. It was raining that day and it seemed like nature itself was grieving. Simba stood on the promontory alone gazing out over the gathered herds, their heads bowed in reverent silence.

The lions sat in two rows near the base of the promontory, gazing at Simba from behind. They were all dealing with the tragedy in their own fashion. The queen held Asante to her side, her tear-filled eyes directed proudly towards her husband. Kiara nuzzled Kovu and Fasa, weeping silently. Kopa stood firm while Vitani and Nyota nuzzled him for support. He didn't weep or show any sign of sadness, though he had to clear his throat a couple of times to force down the hidden knot of grief in his throat. Some of the lions sobbed loudly while others only allowed themselves silent tears that dripped to the ground with the raindrops.

Simba knew he needed to be strong for the kingdom. Rafiki had touched the lives of nearly every creature in the Pride Lands and they were looking to their king for the strength to move on. He struggled to keep his tears back, his lip quivering as he felt his fortitude start to waver…

A pair of tiny paws wrapped around Simba's forelimb and he looked down to find Asante hugging him. His son must have dashed up the promontory to be with him. Simba glanced over his shoulder and saw Nala smiling sadly at him.

"Dad?" Asante whimpered.

Simba pulled Asante into his arms and the cub cuddled up against him. Having Asante near helped Simba find new strength. He leaned down and nuzzled Asante's cheek. "I love you," he whispered. Then he lifted his head and released a powerful roar in honor of Rafiki.

The rest of the pride followed Simba's example and roared, the air filled with thunderous voices that said Rafiki would always be remembered.

Simba smiled a little at the sound of Asante's high-pitched snarl, the cub adding his own meager voice to the lions' booming song. The king looked up into the sky. "I love you, Rafiki."

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 4**

* * *

**Note from the Author:** I imagine a lot of you are probably furious with me for killing off Rafiki but I hope you can forgive me and continue following the story. Believe me, I know this must have been heartbreaking, it wasn't very fun to write - I had to stop and cry a couple of times, but it just seemed like it needed to happen for the flow of this book's plot.

I wanted to address one other thing. Mheetu and Madoa have a litter of sons and so far only one of them has been described – Faraji. I have chosen, in order to keep the story from getting too crowded, to leave Faraji's brothers unnamed and unaddressed in this story. There will be a couple of other supporting OC's who have unnamed siblings, my reasoning behind this being that it's unrealistic that all the cubs in the newest generation would each be an "only child" but I just don't have the space in this story to introduce a dozen new lions.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 4

**Four Years Later…**

Simba sat upon the promontory of Pride Rock, gazing out over his kingdom. The years were starting to show in his appearance, his mane flecked with gray streaks on either side of his temples. But it was not his age that weighed the most heavily on him. It was the loss of so many loved ones throughout his long life. Since Rafiki's passing four years previously, other beloved pride members had gone to join the Great Kings of the Past; Nala's parents Leo and Sarafina, the widow Sabini, and even "King Joe." It wasn't that they left this world badly – they all passed on peacefully, reaching ages that were unheard of among lions. Male lions generally didn't live past the age of 12 but Leo had miraculously lived to see his 18th year of life before slipping away in his sleep. Simba could not have wished for a more serene end to the full lives of his elderly family members and friends – but it didn't alleviate his grief, which slowly grew heavier and heavier with each loss.

Simba gently shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the present. His eyes wandered to the distant oribi territory, where the lionesses were hunting. He couldn't make out the tiny leonine figures in the distance and he sighed, slowly lowering himself down to take a moment's rest.

Meanwhile, in the valley where the lionesses were hunting, the teams were carefully positioning themselves upwind and downwind. Kiara led the hunts now, Nala having relinquished authority as her daughter grew to become a more powerful huntress. The queen was presently the only lioness of her generation that continued to take part in the hunts, having amazingly kept her vigor. Nala and Kiara crouched near the edge of the tall grass where they spied on their intended prey.

"The downwind team is in place," Nala whispered.

"Okay," Kiara whispered back. "On my mark…"

Suddenly, a white streak dashed towards the herd before Kiara could voice her signal. Like lightning, the snow-colored lioness latched her jaws around the mouth of one large male oribi, blood gushing out from the beast's crushed snout. The lioness brought the creature down and suffocated it with her kiss of death. It's companions fled in terror from the white huntress, unknowingly rushing off to meet the downwind team.

"Nyota!" Kiara shouted, coming out of her hiding place with Nala. "You were supposed to wait for my signal."

Nyota looked over her shoulder at Kiara, her expression placid while oribi blood dripped from her mouth.

"Honey, clean yourself off," Nala sighed as she approached her granddaughter.

Nyota rolled her eyes and wiped her muzzle clean with the back of her forelimb. "What's the big deal?" she asked her aunt. "We got our kill, didn't we?"

Vitani hurried over. "Nyota, that was incredible," she declared as she came to stand by her daughter. "Simply incred…" she trailed off when she saw Kiara's furious look. "Err, I mean – bad girl," she corrected herself unconvincingly. "Very bad girl."

"All right, all right," Nyota groaned, "I'll wait for the signal next time."

The rest of the upwind team rose from their hiding places and the downwind team returned not long after with their own catch, setting it beside Nyota's kill.

"Nyota, you really shouldn't attack a herd like that on your own," Timira scolded. "They may be prey animals but they can be dangerous to a lone lioness when they're in large groups."

"Ugh, will you all please stop lecturing me, I get it already!" Nyota exclaimed.

"Everyone calm down," Boga laughed, "Nyota was great out there."

Uzuri trotted up and stood by Nyota.

"I'm not questioning her skill," Kiara said crossly to Boga. "It's her inability to rely on her teammates." She faced Nyota. "You either hunt with us or you don't hunt at all. Do you understand?"

Nyota gave Kiara a petulant look. "Thanks for standing up for me, Mom," she muttered scathingly to Vitani.

"Nyota," Vitani replied in a hurt tone.

"Come on, Uzuri," Nyota said angrily, rushing past Kiara. The other youthful lioness followed.

As the other huntresses took the slain prey back to Pride Rock, Kiara sat with her mother and three companions. "All right," Kiara sighed, "be honest. Was I too hard on her?"

"I think your tone might have been a bit too authoritarian," Timira conceded, "but your concern is valid. When you're going up against large herds, attacking by yourself is unwise."

"I would have bribed her," Boga suggested.

Kiara looked at Vitani. "I'm sorry she snapped at you," she told her sister-in-law. "I'm the one she has a problem with…"

"It's not your fault," Vitani sighed. "She's too impulsive sometimes."

"What do you think, Mother?" Kiara sighed, turning to Nala.

"Honestly, this is territory I'm unfamiliar with," Nala replied. "When it came to hunting, you, Kopa, and Asante were all very respectful to your instructors and embraced teamwork." She looked at Vitani. "Nyota has a tempestuous spirit and, while we may all love that about her, that wild nature has its drawbacks."

"I think we could all use some R and R," Boga suggested. "How about a little sunbathing by the waterhole?"

"That sounds heavenly," Kiara chuckled.

"Let's go then," Timira said with a grin, nudging Vitani ahead of her. "You too, Tough Girl."

"All right, all right," Vitani groaned. "Stop pushing."

"You coming, Mother?" Kiara asked the queen.

"No thanks," Nala said, coming closer and nuzzling Kiara. "You go ahead. I'll head back to Pride Rock and save you four some oribi."

* * *

The older lions relaxed on the lounge boulders at Pride Rock. Their numbers currently included Nala's brother Mheetu, his mate Madoa, Madoa's sister Alama, Nala's childhood friends Chumvi, Kula, and Tama, and Simba's childhood friend Tojo. Mheetu glanced up as a slender lion walked past. "Hey, Asante," he greeted. "Aren't you supposed to be at the sparring sessions?"

"I was on my way now," Asante replied. At five years, he was much slimmer than the other males his age. His brown mane was fully-grown and distinctively smooth and silky. He took note of Mheetu and the other two venerable males. "What about you three?"

"Kopa said he could oversee the lessons without us," Mheetu replied. "Us oldies need our rest, you know." He gave Asante a wink.

"You guys aren't old," Asante protested.

"That's sweet, Asante," Madoa said, nuzzling Mheetu's shoulder sleepily.

"Well, I'll see you all later," Asante said, starting to leave. He looked up and noticed Simba napping on the throne. He was already late so he decided it wouldn't make much difference if he took another few moments to check on his father. He trotted up the rocky incline to the base of the throne and then walked out to the edge. "Dad?" he asked, nudging the king.

"Wha…" Simba jerked awake. He looked at Asante and chuckled ruefully. "Sorry, you startled me."

"You all right?" Asante asked, nuzzling his father.

"Just closed my eyes for a few seconds," Simba explained.

"I'm heading out to the sparring lessons," Asante explained.

Simba rose. "I'll come with you," he decided.

"You don't have to," Asante protested. "If you need to rest…"

"I'm fine," Simba assured Asante, walking ahead of him.

Half an hour later, the king and his younger son arrived at the location of the training arena for the Pride Land Knights. It was a shaded clearing bordered by five evenly spaced egg-shaped boulders, the space suitably called "Five Stones." This was actually the location where Rafiki first met the royal family when King Ahadi saved him from hyenas many years ago. At the moment, a heated sparring match was taking place between Timir and Bado, Kopa coaching from the sidelines. Timir was the larger opponent, distinguished by his golden fur and thick blond mane. Though smaller, Bado was more wiry and dexterous. His fur was light brown and his mane dark brown.

"Come on, Bado," Kopa called. "Timir may have more brute strength but you know how to turn his strength against him."

Timir pounced at Bado but the smaller youth crouched low and sidestepped his opponent, using a paw to give Timir's lunge a little more momentum that sent Timir sprawling.

"Hey, come on, Kopa!" Babu protested.

"This isn't an official match, Babu," Kopa replied. "Timir can't actually lose. This is just an educational match."

"Whatever," Babu mumbled.

"Why are you even here?" Afua asked. "You didn't join the knights, did you?"

"No," Babu replied. "I'm just here to root for my son." He reared up and cheered, "Come on, Timir, don't give up!"

"Dude, come on," Afua groaned. "Don't be one of _those_ dads."

Simba and Asante arrived at a corner of the arena where Kovu, his son Fasa, and one of Mheetu's sons Faraji were watching the match. In total, there were roughly fifteen males present. Faraji and Fasa waved at Asante but Kovu gave him a disapproving frown. "You're late," he scolded.

"I know," Asante said guiltily.

"How are things here?" Simba asked.

"Going very well," Kovu replied.

Timir swiped at Bado and caught his opponent across the face, sending Bado tumbling to the ground. Bado was about to rise when Kopa raised a paw. "All right, that's enough. Good work, you two. You've shown great improvement."

Timir helped Bado up before they exited the arena. Timir took a spot next to his father while Bado wandered over to Faraji, the two youths lounging together for a moment.

Kopa looked over at Asante. "Glad you could fit us into your busy schedule," he noted reproachfully. "Now that you've arrived, let's have you against Faraji."

"What?" Asante exclaimed. "I can't beat Faraji, he's huge!"

"All muscle, Boys," Faraji laughed as he entered the arena. Though younger than Asante, he'd grown larger and heftier than his cousin, much like his brawny father Mheetu. He flexed his muscles for the onlookers and theatrically flicked his smooth black mane.

"It's not that kind of spar, Asante," Kovu assured his young brother-in-law. "We're doing educational matches today, working on our form, moves, adaptability…"

Asante sighed and positioned himself opposite Faraji.

"You can do it Uncle Sante," Fasa called out. Kovu's son now sported a brown mane with light brown streaks.

"As I said before, no claws, teeth, or shots to the groin," Kopa instructed.

"Would shots to the groin be allowed if it was an official match?" Afua called out.

"Dad, please," Bado groaned, covering his face.

"Begin," Kopa instructed.

Faraji and Asante circled each other for a moment.

"Asante, what do I keep telling you," Kopa scolded, "don't expose your flank like that."

Faraji charged Asante and the smaller youth just barely managed to leap out of his path, hopping away as the burly lion rounded on him and again charged.

"Asante, evasion won't work forever in this space," Kopa called. "You're boxed in with nowhere to go, you got to fight back."

Asante growled and swiped at Faraji, landing a blow to the other lion's shoulder but Faraji shrugged the attack off and knocked Asante over onto his side, just about to pin him. Asante rolled away just in the nick of time.

"Remember what Bado did in his match," Kopa reminded his brother. "If your opponent is stronger…"

"Yeah, I know!" Asante snapped, looking at Kopa. "Use their strength against them!"

"And don't ignore them," Faraji shouted, using Asante's momentary distraction to leap on him. He drove the smaller lion backwards and pinned him, the impact with the ground knocking the wind out of Asante's lungs. He was helpless beneath Faraji's paws, unable to free himself. He started to panic…

_Sarabi paused for just an instant, remembering the precious bundle in her mouth too late to notice Adui as he and three more of his followers leapt to block her escape route._

_"Grandma!" Asante cried._

_Sarabi turned to Adui just as he lifted his claws to strike. Sarabi dropped Asante and curled herself protectively over the cub, feeling Adui's nails rip through her back._

Asante released a violent roar, claws unsheathing as he kicked Faraji in the stomach.

"Good escape tactic," Kopa complimented. "Now… wait a minute." Kopa's eyes widened. "Asante, retract your claws!"

Asante couldn't hear Kopa. When he looked at Faraji, he didn't see his cousin. In his mind's eye, Adui was standing before him. He barreled at Faraji, the strength of his panic and rage knocking the larger lion backwards. Asante proceeded to pin Faraji, claws perilously close to his cousin's jugular.

"Sante, stop!" Faraji cried.

Kopa rushed out into the arena and grabbed his brother by the shoulders. "Asante, calm down!" he shouted, yanking Asante off his cousin and pressing him to the ground in a restraining manner.

"Asante!" Simba called out, hurrying out into the arena.

"Just calm down," Kopa whispered, holding Asante as his trembling subsided. Gradually, Asante remembered where he was and covered his face in shame.

"What is wrong with you, Freak?" Faraji shouted.

"Faraji, lay off," Kovu instructed.

"You okay?" Kopa asked, loosening his grip.

Asante pushed Kopa off and fled from the arena, several of the other youths nervously moving out of his way.

"Asante!" Simba called.

* * *

Asante hid up in a tree near Zulu Falls, laying along a thick branch with his face buried in his forelimbs. Never before had his grandmother's murder haunted his waking hours. He could hear his cousin's epithet ringing in his ears. "Freak." He moaned and shredded the bark under his claws.

"What do you think that was all about?" Asante heard Bado ask, his voice somewhere below.

Asante stiffened, keeping deathly still so that Bado didn't sense Asante's presence. He couldn't face his peers yet – not right after he'd gone crazy and almost clawed his cousin's throat open.

"I don't know," Faraji muttered. "He just went psycho on me."

"You shouldn't be so angry."

Asante carefully pushed some leaves aside to gaze on the two lions below. They came to the river and sat down near the bank.

"What do you mean I shouldn't be so angry?" Faraji scoffed. "You did see what he almost did to me, didn't you?"

"Yes, and I also saw that he was very scared."

"Of what? It was just a stupid sparring match. It wasn't even an official spar, we were just practicing."

Bado gently touched Faraji's shoulder. "You should talk to him about it."

Faraji looked at Bado, his expression softening. "Why do you have to be so compassionate with everyone?" he asked.

Bado smiled. "I just don't like seeing you and your cousin fighting."

"Would you rather I fought you?" Faraji asked, leaping on the smaller male. They rolled playfully on the ground, wrestling like cubs.

_Would you please just go away so I can get down from here?_ Asante thought.

Faraji and Bado's wrestling turned into playful nuzzling.

_Um, wow, they're really affectionate_, Asante noted.

Faraji sat up and Bado rose to nuzzle him under his chin. The younger lion stepped back and looked up into Faraji's eyes. "I love you," he said in a tender voice.

_Wait, what!_

Faraji smiled warmly at Bado. "I know."

Bado lightly hit Faraji's shoulder. "You're supposed to say it back," Bado scolded with a chuckle.

Faraji wrapped an arm around Bado and pulled him against his chest, stroking Bado's mane-covered shoulders with his paw. "I love you too."

Asante's jaw dropped.

Bado snuggled up in Faraji's silky black mane, purring lovingly.

_I've got to get out of here!_ Asante thought, moving backwards on the branch. As he did, he missed a step and his back legs slipped off the branch. He tried to hold on with his front paws but his claws slid off the already shredded bark and he fell, leaves and branches bursting apart as he plummeted out of the tree and landed on his back with a loud flop.

Faraji and Bado leapt away from each other and Faraji took a defensive stance, growling at the noise until he saw who'd fallen out of the tree. "Asante?" he shouted.

Asante propped himself up on his elbows and stared at the other two lions blankly.

Bado gaped at Asante.

"Were you spying on us?" Faraji roared.

"No," Asante protested automatically. "I mean, not on purpose…"

"Asante please, you can't tell anyone," Bado begged. "I'm not ready for the others to know. My parents, my brothers and sisters – I don't know how they're going to react."

"Um – react to what?" Asante mumbled, trying to feign ignorance.

"React to_ us_, you fool!" Faraji shouted.

Bado touched Faraji's shoulder to calm him down. "We're lovers," Bado admitted.

Asante nodded. "Yeah, I kinda gathered that much." He rose off his sore rump and faced the two romantically involved males.

"Stop staring at us like that," Faraji growled, placing a comforting arm around Bado's shoulders and nuzzling him.

"Sorry," Asante yelped, averting his eyes to the ground. "I just – I mean, I know there are individuals who – you know. I just didn't – I mean you guys of all people… I did not see that coming."

"Asante, please," Bado insisted.

"Yeah, okay," Asante assured Bado. "I won't tell anyone, I promise. Believe me, I – I know what it's like to be different."

Faraji narrowed his eyes at Asante. "Wait, do you mean you're like us?"

Asante's eyes bugged out. "What? No! Not like that!" He paused, regarding the two lovers. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with what you do – or are." He sighed. "Yeah, I'm just going to go. We keep this between us? Good, mums the word." He turned and started to leave.

"Wait," Bado called.

Asante paused. "What?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

Bado nudged Faraji and gestured at Asante.

"You got to be kidding me," Faraji groaned.

"Do it," Bado demanded.

Faraji looked at Asante. "I'm sorry about what happened at the arena," he called. "I shouldn't have called you a freak."

Asante shrugged. "You had a good reason, me flipping out the way I did."

"Still, it's a bit hypocritical for someone like me…" Faraji began.

"You guys aren't freaks," Asante asserted, turning around to face them. "What this is between you – there's nothing wrong with it, really."

Bado smiled appreciatively. "What happened in the arena?" he asked. "Why did you get so…" Bado tried to think of a diplomatic way of saying it.

"Why'd I go psycho?" Asante supplied ruefully. "I – I saw something…"

Faraji raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to be more specific than that."

Asante bit his lip. "I saw my grandmother being murdered," he explained. "When Faraji pinned me, I just panicked and then – I don't know, it was like I was there again, a cub and Adui…" He sighed. "There you go," he waved a dismissive hand.

Faraji and Bado were not born until after Sarabi's murder but they had heard the stories from their parents about Adui and his attack on the Pride Lands – and by extension knew what Asante had experienced as a cub. Faraji's eyes softened. "Oh Sante, I'm so sorry."

Asante shrugged. "I'm a nutcase," he noted.

Faraji left Bado's side and approached his cousin, making to embrace him. Asante jerked away in surprise. Faraji narrowed his eyes at Asante. "It's not contagious," he said crossly.

Asante nodded. "Right, yeah, I know that," he replied, shrugging it off with an unconvincing smile.

Faraji hugged Asante, patting his shoulders comfortingly.

Asante uneasily patted Faraji's back in return. "Yeah, this is really awkward," he noted.

Faraji chuckled as he stepped back. The cousins stared at one another for a moment and then their ears twitched simultaneously, rotating towards the same direction.

"You hear that?" Asante asked.

"Yeah," Faraji said in a hushed voice.

"Hear what?" Bado asked.

Faraji shushed him. "Listen."

They were silent a moment and Bado's eyes widened. "What is that?"

Asante turned around and ran back towards Pride Rock, Faraji and Bado following close behind.

* * *

Kiara, Vitani, Timira, and Boga returned to Pride Rock about the same time the Pride Land Knights and their students did – minus Asante, Faraji, and Bado. The princess hurried over to Kopa, concerned over the fact that he was organizing search parties. "Kopa, what's happening?" Kiara demanded.

"Asante's missing," he replied solemnly. "He had some sort of – episode during a sparring match with Faraji and then took off. He seemed – I don't know, like he was having a psychotic breakdown."

Nala hurried over with Fasa and Nyota. "Kiara, have you seen your brother?" she asked anxiously.

Kiara shook her head.

"Faraji's gone too!" Mheetu declared, his family gathered around him, minus one son.

"And Bado!" Boga called out, scanning the crowd with Afua and their other children.

"Faraji and Bado wandered off right after we broke up class," Kovu noted, coming to stand beside Kiara.

Nala lowered her head and moaned.

"Hey, Mom," Kopa whispered, nuzzling Nala. "It's gonna be okay."

"Aunt Kiara," Nyota said, eyes averted to the ground awkwardly. "I want to apologize for what happened on the hunt."

Kiara looked at Nyota and nodded. "It's all right," she replied. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad."

Vitani hurried over and nuzzled Nyota, who returned her mother's affectionate rub. Nyota looked at Kiara, worry in her eyes. "Do you think Uncle Sante's all right?"

"I hope so," Kiara said, looking up to the promontory where Simba was pacing back and forth.

Timon and Pumbaa stood near Simba, nervously watching as he paced. "Take it easy, Buddy," Timon said. "This happens all the time with your kids and they always turn out okay in the end."

The king glanced up and came to an abrupt halt when he noticed the majordomo Zeb approaching. "Have you found him?" he asked.

"Yes," Zeb declared unemotionally as he landed. "Asante's at Zulu Falls. I saw him with Faraji and Bado." He touched his chin. "It looked like they were making up."

Simba sighed in relief. "Thank the Great Kings," he said. He walked to the edge of the promontory. "Call off the search parties," he shouted down to the lions below.

"Call off?" Kopa replied loudly. "We haven't finished calling _on_ the search parties."

"Zeb found Asante," Simba explained. "He's at Zulu Falls with Faraji and Bado."

There were murmurs of relief throughout the crowd.

Timon came up and patted Simba's shoulder. "With all the stress these kids cause you, it's a wonder you haven't had a heart attack yet, right Pal?"

"What do you think was wrong with Asante?" Pumbaa asked.

"Hormones?" Timon suggested.

Simba was about to laugh but paused, tilting his head and swiveling an ear around. "What's that noise?"

Timon and Pumbaa glanced at each other. "What noise?" they asked in unison.

Down below, other lions were tilting their heads, a strange echoing thrum filling the air.

"That doesn't sound good," Kopa muttered.

Simba surveyed the kingdom, his eyes gradually lifting up towards the sky. His gaze paused on a strange white line forming against the blue atmosphere, stretching longer and longer from a strange bird-shaped object. "What is that?" he mumbled.

Gradually, all the lions in the pride turned their gazes up towards the same object.

"What in the world?" Nala gasped.

Kopa walked forward, squinting at the strange object. "It looks like a large bird – but," his eyes widened a little, "I think it's made of some kind of shiny stone."

"Daddy?" Nyota mumbled, moving closer to Kopa. "I don't like that thing." Vitani came up and tried to sooth Nyota. Their daughter was scared – and almost nothing scared Nyota.

"Fasa," Kovu whispered, gently edging his son towards Kiara and Nala. "Stay close to your mother and grandmother."

"Uh, yes Dad," Fasa replied nervously.

All throughout the pride, lions were becoming frightened. Whatever the object was, the white line it left in its path was turning dark gray. Suddenly, an explosion erupted from one of its wing shaped appendages, setting it on fire.

"Yeah, that's definitely not a bird," Zeb said in a squeaky voice, his normally jaded eyes wide with shock.

The object was coming closer, falling towards the Pride Lands at a sheer angle on the winds. It was now close enough that the lions could see strange egg-shaped lumps attached to the wings with bladed airscrews spinning around. One of the egg-shaped lumps was on fire and spewing black smoke.

"Everyone inside Pride Rock!" Simba roared.

At his order, the lions began hurrying up to the den's entrance.

Fasa paused, looking out towards the savannah. "Asante!" he called.

Several lions paused and looked to where Fasa was gazing.

Asante was bolting across the fields towards Pride Rock, Faraji and Bado close behind.

"Get inside," Simba told the lions who paused to look back at the three stragglers. The king rushed down the rocky incline himself and ran towards Asante.

A thunderous blast ripped through the sky as the flaming egg-shaped tumor attached to one of the object's wings exploded, launching the bladed airscrew towards the earth where Asante and his companions were running.

"No!" Simba wailed.

Asante glanced up and gaped at the sharp spinning object falling towards him and his companions. He skidded to a halt, grabbing Faraji and Bado with his claws as they were about to pass him. With a heave, he shoved them to the side and made them run a path perpendicular with their previous course. The bladed airscrew struck the earth where Asante and his companions would have been if they hadn't turned. It spun and rolled across the grass, ripping the soil apart with its rotating blades until it crashed against an umbrella tree and fell over.

Simba let out a shuddering gasp as his son narrowly escaped death. He continued to rush towards him, the king and prince colliding with one another and hugging fiercely. Faraji pushed Bado low and knelt over him protectively as the vast bird-shaped object soared over them, the noise suddenly shifting as the flying object passed and continued on a wind-bound course away from the Pride Lands.

"Dad, what is it!" Asante shouted over the deafening noise.

Simba only shook his head, holding Asante protectively.

As the flying object gradually moved away from them, the noise also receded. Faraji cautiously rose up, keeping an arm around Bado. "It's heading towards the Outlands," the large youth noted.

Despite his order for the pride to take cover in Pride Rock, several pride members rushed out into the field to see if Simba and the three young lions were safe. Soon, Nala, Kopa, Kiara, and a dozen other lions joined Simba and Asante. Faraji and Bado were then drawn apart and surrounded by their anxious families. Huddling together, the lions watched the flying object as it glided lower and lower, vanishing beyond the tree line. A few seconds later, there was an audible crash and they saw a cloud of dust rise into the air.

"It landed in the Outlands," Kiara gasped.

Kopa glanced at his sister. "Yeah, landed is not the word I'd use," he mumbled.

"It crashed!" Faraji declared.

Kopa rolled his eyes. "That's what I was getting at, yes."

"Dad, what was that?" Asante breathed.

Simba shook his head. "I don't know," he gasped.

* * *

There was pain – a sharp pain in his head. He reached up and touched his forehead. There was something wet and hot on his temple. His vision was blurred, eyes partially closed as he tried to fight through the daze. He blinked several times and his vision cleared to reveal a shattered windshield. Looking at his fingers, he saw blood. He touched his head again and winced as his fingertips brushed the cut, stinging the wound. Pulling his fingers away, he struggled with the straps holding him to the seat. He shook his head hard, trying to clear the last of the stupor. He looked around the cockpit of the Antonov An-28.

"Bruce," he said weakly, trying to rouse the pilot. Sitting in a backseat, he could only see the back of the pilot's chair. Bruce was leaning forward in his seat, apparently unconscious. "Bruce," he said a little louder, jerking at his belt. "Wake up, I'm stuck!" The belt buckle released under his fingers as soon as he said this. "Never mind," he moaned. He leaned to the side and looked out the window at the barren landscape. "Where are we?" he mumbled.

Slowly, he got out of his chair and lurched towards the pilot from behind. "Bruce, come on," he said. "Wake up, we're in trouble here." He grabbed the pilot's shoulder and Bruce shifted slightly, torso swaying limply to the right but kept upright by his seat's harness. From where he stood behind Bruce, he saw blood start to drip on the floor.

"Oh God," he moaned. He closed his eyes and eased himself between the seats so he would be able to see Bruce from the side. Taking a shuddering breath, he opened his eyes to examine the pilot.

From outside the plane, a bloodcurdling scream filled with horror and sorrow could be heard. A few seconds later, Daniel threw open the side door and rushed out, stumbling down to the dry cracked earth and landing on his hands and knees. His stomach heaved and he threw up.

Once his stomach was emptied, Daniel leaned back on his heels. A slender young man of eighteen, he was primarily African in lineage with perhaps a small amount of European ancestry. His curly black hair was cut short and he wore a pair of denim shorts, white sneakers, and a red sleeveless T-shirt. He trembled uncontrollably as he looked around the deserted wasteland.

Bruce was dead in the plane, and there had been no one else with them during the flight. Daniel was utterly alone and he released a terrified scream. "Someone help me!"

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 5**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 5

The lionesses of the pride stood several yards away watching the males worriedly. Asante stood a little ways behind the group of warriors as Simba passed out instructions. "The artifact fell into the Outland territories so Kovu will take point, seeing as he is the most familiar with those lands."

"Excuse me, Your Highness," Afua called out, lifting a pointed finger. "How about – and hear me out – we not do that and just let whatever's out there – stay out there." He glanced around to see if any of the other males agreed. "No?"

Bado stood by Afua and covered his face in embarrassment. "Please stop talking, Dad," he sighed.

Kopa looked at his friend shrewdly. "We need to find out what that object is, Afua," he explained. "More of those things could be on the way and the next one might not miss the Pride Lands."

Asante shivered, imagining dozens or hundreds of those flaming stone birds falling from the heavens onto the Pride Lands.

"You know, Afua," Chumvi said, lightly nudging his son, "you don't have to go with the expedition if you're scared."

"Hold on, I didn't say I was scared!" Afua protested.

"What if it's still alive?" Faraji asked, standing beside Mheetu.

"I don't think it was alive to begin with," Simba said. "It didn't look like it was made of flesh and blood."

"And it wasn't moving," Mheetu added. "I mean, it was moving as in _falling_ but did you see how stiff those wings were? It was like a solid rock the way it fell." He glanced at the detached propeller lying by the tree several dozen yards away. "Well, mostly solid."

Babu stepped forward. "Simba, I know I'm not a knight or squire but I'd like to go with the expedition if that's all right."

Simba nodded. "Certainly, Babu. We'd be thankful to have your assistance."

"I've never been to the Outlands," Fasa noted.

Kovu frowned at his son. "There was a reason for that. Hopefully, this will be the only time you ever have to see those wastelands."

"All right, you have ten minutes to say goodbye to your families," Simba declared. "We may be gone all night."

The lions did as Simba instructed: Mheetu, Faraji, and the rest of Mheetu's sons huddled around Madoa and Alama; Babu and Timir bid farewell to Timira and her daughters; Tojo nuzzled his wife Tama and his daughter Uzuri; and a large family came together when Chumvi, Afua, Bado, and Bado's brothers bid farewell to Kula, Boga, and Bado's sisters.

"This is stupid," Nyota protested. "Why can't I go?"

"Half the pride needs to stay behind to watch Pride Rock," Vitani explained. "And most of the lionesses are still exhausted from today's hunt."

"I'm not exhausted," Nyota muttered.

"The lionesses get to go out everyday to hunt," Vitani continued. "The fellas rarely get any chances to take action so just let them have this one expedition. Okay?"

Nyota grunted and walked away just as her father approached. "Hey, Princess," Kopa called. "How about giving your old man a kiss for good luc – err, okay, I guess not." He watched Nyota walk over to Timir.

"Be careful, Timir," Nyota mumbled.

Timir smiled at Nyota and nuzzled her affectionately. "I will."

Kopa's eyes flew wide open when he saw how familial Timir was being with his daughter. "The hell?" he gasped.

"What?" Vitani asked, glancing over at Nyota.

"When did that happen?" Kopa demanded hotly.

Vitani shrugged. "When they were kids. Don't you remember how Nyota used to chase Timir all the time?"

"I thought she was just terrorizing him," Kopa scoffed.

Vitani rolled her eyes. "That's what lots of girls do to boys they like," she explained.

"Oh, Timir's a dead man," Kopa declared angrily, starting to head for Timir and Nyota before Vitani positioned herself in front of him.

"Let them alone," Vitani instructed sternly. "Timir's a good kid. There's no reason to get so riled up." She gently shoved Kopa in the direction of the Outlands. "Go hunt magical birds made of stone, that'll make you feel better."

Fasa said goodbye to Kiara, nuzzling his mother before starting back to join the other males with Kovu. He paused when he saw Uzuri saying goodbye to her father. Tojo had just finished bidding Tama and Uzuri farewell when Fasa timidly approached. "Hey, Uzuri," the prince said shyly.

"Hi Mufasa," Uzuri replied distantly, eyes on her father as Tojo joined the other knights.

"I just wanted to tell you how nice you look…"

"Bye Mufasa," Uzuri said in the same aloof tone, cutting him off.

"Ah, right. There's my place and you put me in it," he sighed, turning around to regroup with the lions.

Uzuri sighed. "Mufasa," she called. "Be careful."

Fasa paused and glanced back at Uzuri, smiling before he bounded over to where Simba waited.

Nala nuzzled the king tenderly before turning to Asante and repeating the gesture. "You be careful and don't put yourselves in danger," she said.

"It's just a scouting trip, Dear," Simba assured her. "We'll be fine."

Nala licked Asante one last time before she walked away to rejoin the anxious females.

"Everyone listen up," Simba called. "We don't know what's in store for us so I want all the squires to stay close to their respective trainers."

At Simba's instruction, the young males moved to stand by their corresponding knights: Asante with Kopa, Fasa with Mheetu, Faraji with Kovu, Timir with Afua, Bado with Tojo, and so on. There were currently more squires than knights, so many of the elder lions were responsible for multiple squires.

"Babu, since you've not received the same training as the others, I would like you to back up Chumvi."

Babu nodded and walked over to stand by Chumvi.

Simba scanned the group one last time and nodded in satisfaction. "Let's move out."

* * *

Hands shaking, Daniel moved Bruce's body to the rear of the plane, where he laid the pilot across the back row and wrapped him in a fire blanket. If a rescue party arrived, Daniel assumed Bruce would want his remains to be returned to his family in the United States for burial. As Daniel finished bundling the dead pilot, he realized he didn't even know if Bruce had any family. Hadn't Bruce once said he hadn't gone back to the United States in the last fifteen years? Daniel moved away from the swaddled remains and began taking stock of his resources.

The plane could serve as a shelter in the meantime – except for the shattered windshield. Although Bruce had managed to land the plane along a relatively flat clearing, the makeshift runway wasn't wide enough and the plane had crashed head-on into a rocky cliff face, the front of the aircraft partially imploded from the impact. Though the rock wall blocked off most of the windshield, there was enough space above for a man-sized animal to squeeze through. Bruce tried blocking that off with seat cushions, though he doubted that would stop a determined carnivore.

Daniel examined the silent two-way radio and picked up the handset. Flicking the on/off switch, he tried to activate it. He pushed the transmitter button and spoke into the microphone. "Hello?" he said. "Can anyone hear me?" He paused and, as an afterthought, added, "over." He waited for three minutes. When no one answered, he flicked the switch again. "Someone please answer me," he begged, "over." There wasn't even static.

With no way to contact help, Daniel started gathering all the supplies in the plane, spreading them on one of the seats. There was a first-aid kit that Daniel yanked off the wall and a flare gun Bruce had kept under the pilot seat in a cardboard box with two flare cartridges. He emptied out his backpack and added the contents to his provisions: a couple of granola bars, a half empty bottle of water, a booklet of blank paper for drawing, some pencils, and a sharpener. Daniel dug into his pockets: some Tanzanian shillings, American dollars, and a beat up Swiss Army knife. Lastly, Daniel added the contents of Bruce's pockets, which he'd emptied out before wrapping his friend's body. There was a half-empty lighter, a half-empty packet of cigarettes, and some more money that Daniel couldn't use for diddlysquat out in the wilderness.

Daniel leaned back in the next seat, surveying the meager supplies. What he was really hoping to find was something he could use for a weapon. He was stranded out in the middle of the Serengeti, vulnerable to any number of predators. He curled up in the seat and mumbled, "How'd I end up here?" His mind wandered back five weeks to…

_…The JFK airport in New York City. Daniel sat in coach near the back of the fuselage as the airplane coasted along towards the runway. The teenager was rigid in his seat by the window, gripping the armrests for dear life._

_"First time flying?" the woman next to him asked in a Tanzanian accent. She was a middle-aged Maasai woman with short hair and a blue shuka dress._

_Daniel glanced at her and nodded nervously._

_"Nothing to worry about," she said. "The chances of being in a plane crash are one in eleven-million."_

Oh God, shut up!_ Daniel thought. _Why would you say the words 'plane crash' on an airplane?

_Naturally, it was at that moment that the plane sped off down the runway to take off. Daniel clenched his eyes shut as the airplane rose up into the air, speeding off into the sky. He had the unsettling sensation of gravity reversing as the plane leveled out, sending his innards upward before the plane settled on a straight course._

_"What brings you to Tanzania?" the woman asked, closing her newspaper to look at him sweetly._

_Daniel looked at the woman wildly, not believing how calm she was. He sighed before answering. "I was accepted into a three-month internship as an assistant veterinarian at a game preserve," he explained._

_"Oh, a game preserve?" she said with a smile. "Is it in the Serengeti National Park?"_

_Daniel shook his head. "__I'm going to work with one of the smaller game preserves_." The airplane jolted under Daniel. "What was that?" he yelped.

_"It's just turbulence," the woman said soothingly._

_Daniel relaxed a little._

_"Where is this preserve?"_

_"Pretty close to Mt. Kilimanjaro," Daniel replied._

_"And this will be your first time there?" she asked. "That's a big change in scenery._

_Daniel nodded. "Well, I always wanted to go to Tanzania. My dad lived there before he moved to the United States." He looked at the woman. "He taught me a little bit of Swahili."_

_The woman proceeded to respond in Swahili. "Lugha moja haitoshi."_

_Daniel stared at her blankly. "Um, yeah, he didn't teach me that much."_

_The woman giggled. "Well, you'll certainly get the opportunity to learn the language while you're there, won't you? What I just said means, 'One language is never enough.'"_

_Daniel laughed a little._

_"What about your mother? Is she also from Tanzania?"_

_Daniel shook his head. "Uh, no, she was born and raised here…" Daniel glanced out his window at the ocean below him. "Err, I mean, back there," he pointed backwards with his thumb, "in New York City."_

_"Well, you have a lot happening for you this summer. I bet your mother and father are very proud of you."_

_Daniel paused, staring down at his hands. "Uh, sure."_

_Half a day later, the airplane set down at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. As Daniel disembarked, he searched for his greeter. He was told over the phone that one of the game preserve's rangers would pick him up. He saw a man holding up a sign with his name, Daniel Musa, written on it in black marker. Daniel approached and scrutinized the man. The fellow was buff, prematurely gray, forty years old, and Caucasian with hazel eyes. He wore jeans, hiking boots, a gray button-down shirt, and a khaki vest. "Uh huh," Daniel mumbled. "A white guy – I didn't really expect to find one of you here."_

_The ranger smirked as he tucked the sign under his arm. "Yeah, we white guys tend to spread like dry rot." He offered Daniel his hand. "I'm Bruce Chavez. I'll be taking you over to the Simba Game Preserve."_

_Daniel shook his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said._

Daniel felt his eyes fill with tears at the memory of his first meeting Bruce. He glanced back towards the row of seats were his friend lay dead. Wiping his eyes dry, he went outside to get some air. As he stepped out into the barren land, he realized a search party might not be able to see the crashed plane from far up. He decided to create a signal fire and set about collecting wood.

It was an hour later that he had the thick branches arranged in a cone shape over some dry grass bundles with a circle of stones around it to keep the campfire contained. The sun was setting nearby and Daniel knew that a fire might be the only thing to scare away any carnivores that lived nearby. There was no vegetation around so the campfire wasn't likely to cause any wildfires, otherwise Daniel wouldn't have risked it. He flicked Bruce's lighter and lit the bundles of brush under the firewood. Leaning down on his hands and knees, he blew gently on the smoldering grass until flames started to lick the wood above them. Daniel moved back and sat down with his legs hugged to his chest as the branches began to burn.

* * *

"Wow, this place sucks," Kopa noted loudly, his paws crunching on the dry cracked earth.

"Thanks, I used to live here," Kovu muttered.

Simba paused and looked around. "We'll split up here," he instructed. "Whoever finds the artifact will give the signal and we'll converge on that location."

"What's the signal?" Mheetu asked.

"Uh, we roar obviously," Faraji laughed.

Mheetu glared at his son. "Don't be a smartass," he scolded.

"We'll divide into four groups," Simba continued. "If no one's found anything in the next hour, we'll meet back here."

"Um, how do we find our way back here?" Afua asked. "Everything here looks the same. Rocks, dirt, and termite mounds."

Babu gestured to a nearby termite mound. "This one looks sort of like a flamingo," he noted. "We can use that as a landmark."

"Right, the flamingo-shaped termite mound," Afua said sardonically. "Seriously, that doesn't sound stupid to anyone else?"

The lions dispersed with the king accompanied by his sons Kopa and Asante in addition to Afua and Timir. As they proceeded, Kopa glanced darkly over his shoulder at Timir. "So you and Nyota have grown pretty close," he noted, his voice slightly accusatory.

Timir blinked in surprise and laughed nervously. "Oh, yeah, well… We're just friends," he assured the older lion.

"Uh huh," Kopa muttered darkly. "You know what happened to the last lion who messed with my little girl, right?"

Timir paused. "Uh – no?"

"That's right, because no one ever found his body," Kopa growled before he moved ahead to walk beside his father.

Timir stared wide-eyed at Kopa. He glanced at Asante as the younger prince walked beside him. "Your brother's gonna murder me, isn't he?"

"Are you and Nyota dating?" Asante asked.

"Yes," Timir responded.

"Yeah, he's gonna murder you," Asante replied, trying not to smirk.

"How's Asante look to you?" Simba asked when Kopa joined him. "Do you think he's all right now?"

Kopa glanced back over his shoulder. "He seems okay – though we didn't get a chance to talk about what happened at Five Stones."

Simba nodded, looking worriedly back at his younger son.

Kopa paused. "Dad, do you smell that?"

Simba stopped as well and sniffed the air. "Smoke," the king noted. "There's a fire somewhere."

"But there's nothing out here that can burn except for a few twigs," Kopa noted.

"That object was burning," Timir noted.

"And it's still burning five hours later?" Afua scoffed. "Oh yeah, that's reassuring."

Simba looked darkly in the direction where the smoke appeared to be wafting from. "Come," he said lowly.

* * *

Daniel blinked his eyes open drowsily. He'd fallen asleep while watching the fire. His face was hot from the heat wafting from the campfire and he looked around. The sun had set and it was nighttime already. He rubbed his eyes wearily and hugged his knees more tightly to his chest.

Then, he heard the sound he'd been dreading – the rumbling growl of a large cat. Daniel's eyes flew wide open and he looked over his shoulder as an enormous golden-brown beast with a fiery red mane approached, glaring at him through yellow eyes with slit pupils. It slowly edged closer to Daniel and chuffed angrily.

Before Daniel could start thinking of a way to evade the predator, he saw four other lions walk around a bend and join the first, their fur varying from beige colored to brown with manes just as diverse. Their unusual coloring aside, Daniel stared in amazement at their sheer size. Zoology information he'd read in several dozen books started rushing through Daniel's mind, temporarily suppressing his fear. _Lions reach an average weight of five hundred and fifty pounds – but these lions are close to one thousand pounds of muscle. How the hell did these animals get so big!_ Naturally, the zoologist in Daniel was silenced as his fear rose, preventing him from marveling at the rarity of five male lions traveling together in the wild.

The leader of the group came closer, head lowered and upper lips creased in anger. It growled again, causing Daniel to edge away fearfully.

Suddenly, a younger lion in the back of the group with golden fur and a cream-colored mane reared his head back and roared, jolting Daniel with terror.

* * *

As Timir's signal roar came to a close, he and the four other lions edged closer to the crashed object and the strange creature sitting outside it by a small fire contained in a ring of small stones. The creature stared at them in terror and edged away.

"I asked you a question," Simba said darkly to the creature. "Who are you and where did this thing come from?"

The strange hairless creature quivered and rose unsteadily to his feet, standing fully erect to the lions' amazement.

"That doesn't look right," Kopa mumbled suspiciously.

"What is that thing, Uncle Afua?" Timir gasped.

"What, the big shiny stone bird or the weird hairless creature standing on two legs?" He paused a beat. "I have no idea in either case."

"Hairless creature," Asante mumbled, "standing erect on two legs?" He turned to his brother. "Kopa, you don't think that's…?"

"I don't think that's what?" Kopa said warily.

"A Lion Hunter?" Asante said in a hushed voice.

Simba's eyes narrowed at the creature. "It can't be," he whispered.

The creature took another step back.

"Don't move!" Simba shouted threateningly, stepping closer. "What are you? I'm warning you, don't make me ask again."

* * *

Daniel flinched when the lion at the front of the group roared angrily. He looked towards the open door of the airplane, which was now farther away than the lions. If he tried to run for it, they would easily intercept him. As he considered his options, his eyes wandered to the campfire at his feet. In a fit of desperation, he kicked the fire at the closest lion, sending hot embers into the leader's eyes. The lion with the red mane roared angrily and started wiping at his face with his paws. His companions skittered back in surprise.

Daniel knew he could never outrun them but panic sent him bolting in the opposite direction anyway. He couldn't hear the lions pursuing him but didn't dare look back to make sure.

* * *

Simba shouted in pain, rubbing his eyes to clear them of the embers.

"Dad!" Asante called out, hurrying over to inspect Simba.

"Not very friendly, whatever it is," Kopa noted as he nuzzled his father's face. "How bad are you hurt, Dad?"

"I'm fine," Simba growled, lowering his arm once his vision had cleared.

"Dad, that creature," Asante fretted, "it looks just like the ones in that story."

"The Lion Hunters?" Kopa scoffed. "That's just make-believe."

"We'll find out soon enough," Simba growled, walking on.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Timir asked. "I just sent the signal so they should be here pretty soon."

"We can't wait," Simba insisted. "I don't know if that creature is a Lion Hunter or not but if it is, we can't let it get away. If the creature doesn't surrender, we bring it down." With that, the king rushed forward after the two-legged animal, the other four lions following closely after him.

* * *

Daniel ran through the wasteland until he skidded to a stop and dived in between some boulders. Crouching low, he tried to hide himself in the crevice. As his breathing slowed, he suddenly groaned and slapped himself in the face. "You just put yourself in a corner, Dan you idiot!"

As soon as he realized his mistake, the lions came into view. The leader slowed, panting loudly as the four others stopped as well. Dan crouched lower and fearfully watched them from his hiding place.

* * *

"Dad, are you okay?" Asante asked as Simba came to a stop.

The king lowered his head and breathed heavily, his expression a little pained. "I'm just – a little out of breath," he gasped.

"We can't stop," Afua protested, "that animal's getting away." He gulped when Kopa gave him a warning look. "Not that I'm rushing you, Your Highness," he clarified nervously.

Simba sighed, feeling humiliated. His age was starting to show and he looked at his older son. "Kopa, go on ahead," he instructed. "I'll follow in a moment."

Kopa nuzzled the king sympathetically. He then turned to his brother. "Asante, stay with Dad and keep him safe," he instructed.

Asante nodded, moving close to Simba as the heir apparent and his two companions continued along the path.

"Well, this is embarrassing," Simba sighed, smiling sheepishly at Asante.

Asante nuzzled Simba consolingly. As the prince waited for Simba to catch his breath, his eyes wandered to the nearby boulders and his eyes narrowed. Sniffing the air, he began to approach the rocks.

"Asante?" Simba mumbled.

As the prince came closer, he unsheathed his claws. "He's in there," he whispered.

Suddenly, the two-legged animal leapt out of the crevice in the stones with a rock clutched in his hand. Asante growled and attempted to pounce him but the strange animal chucked his stone at the charging lion, catching Asante in the forehead and sending the prince tumbling onto his side in pain.

"Asante!" Simba roared, rushing over to his son as the animal fled in a different direction than the one Kopa had taken.

Asante shook his head. "Ow," he groaned, rubbing his head.

Simba turned a venomous glare in the direction of the fleeing creature. "He'll pay," he snarled, rushing off after the creature before Asante could rise.

His exhaustion forgotten, the king chased the strange creature down a hill into a clearing bordered on all sides with towering boulders. The creature rushed at the wall and attempted to climb up but couldn't get a handhold and fell backwards. He scurried to his feet and pressed his back to the wall as Simba approached, the lion's teeth bared. "You hurt my son," the king declared furiously. "Tell me what you are and why you've come here. If you don't start talking, I will attack."

* * *

Daniel trembled in terror as the growling lion slowly came towards him. The predator crouched low to the ground, coiling its muscles for the lunge. Daniel whimpered and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the growling stopped and Daniel hesitantly opened his eyes. The lion was backing away, its gaze directed to the heavens. The smaller lion with the brown mane came down into the ditch as well and its eyes also wandered up to the sky above Daniel.

The youth blinked in confusion and looked up as well. His eyes widened when he saw a golden cloud of light forming right above them, coalescing into the outline of a spectral lion, it's mane churning like smoke. There was a soft rumbling like thunder from the cloud. The apparition's eyes were two glowing beacons of light and it looked on the creatures below with a mild and almost pleasant expression.

Daniel shook his head. "This isn't happening," he whispered.

The two lions that had been chasing him didn't notice him speak and continued to look up at the divine specter in wonder.

The ghostly form above them suddenly dissolved into a vaporous cascade, which ran down the rocky walls like water. The flowing mist bypassed the two lions and flowed around Daniel in a vortex, rising up until he was engulfed within a whirlwind of mist and light.

* * *

Simba and Asante gasped as the cyclone of glowing mist dissipated, revealing the creature now unconscious and being lowered gently to the ground by tendrils of cloud. As the mist placed the hairless animal on its back, the cloudlike substance rose back up into the sky where Mufasa's ghost briefly reappeared, smiling at Simba and Asante.

"Father?" Simba wept.

Asante only stared wide-eyed at the phantom of his grandfather, sitting down heavily on his hunches.

Then, Mufasa's spirit dissipated and vanished.

Simba choked back his tears and wiped his eyes clear. Once he'd regained his composure, his attention returned to the creature they'd been chasing. He approached it cautiously, leaving Asante to stare dumbfounded at the sky. The king stopped and gazed down at the creature, wondering if it was dead.

Suddenly, Daniel's eyes flew open, aglow with golden light. Simba yelped and took a step back as Daniel's mouth opened and a roar escaped his lungs, a golden misty breath flowing from his lips before the glow in his eyes faded and he once again settled in unconsciousness.

Asante hurried over, looking at the animal his father stood over in disbelief. "He – he just roared!" Asante gasped. "Just like a lion."

Simba stared at the creature blankly. "What are you?" he whispered.

Daniel remained still, his chest rising and falling subtly as he slept.

"Do we kill it?" Asante asked.

Simba shook his head. "I – I don't think my father wants us to," he said.

Asante gaped at Simba and then looked back up into the sky. "So I didn't imagine that?" he gasped. "That was real?"

Simba turned to his son and gently placed a forelimb about his shoulders. "Yes," he said in a hushed voice. "That was your grandfather."

Asante scanned the sky for a moment before turning back to Simba. "What did he want? And what did he do to the creature?"

Simba looked down at Daniel. "It almost seemed like – like my father was protecting this creature from us."

"Dad," Kopa called as he rushed into the large ditch with Afua and Timir following. "What happened? What was that light?"

Only seconds behind them, the rest of the expedition team arrived, many entering the ditch while others looked down from the top of the surrounding walls.

"Wow, what is that?" Kovu gasped, staring at the creature lying unconscious beside Simba and Asante. "And where's it's fur?"

"It sort of looks like a hairless baboon," Bado ventured.

"Did you kill it?" Kopa asked as he came forward.

Daniel mumbled and turned over slightly.

"Wow, it's still alive!" Kopa yelped, skidding backward.

"It was Mufasa!" Asante declared.

"What was me?" Fasa called from the ledge above. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not _you_ Fasa, the _other_ Mufasa," Asante clarified.

Simba's grandson stared at Asante blankly. "What _other_ Mufasa?"

Asante covered his face and shook his head. "You know what? I'm out, this whole thing – it's just too weird for me." He walked away up the hill leading out of the ditch, mumbling incoherently to himself.

Kopa stared at his brother uncomprehendingly before joining his father. "Dad, what is going on?"

Simba didn't answer, his attention focused on the creature.

"So, do we kill it?" Afua asked.

"No," Simba declared. He leaned down and gently bit the front of Daniel's shirt, lifting him up and tossing him onto his back. As Daniel settled with his cheek pressed against the back of Simba's neck, Kopa helped his father adjust the creature so it was lying more securely on the king's back. "We're taking him back to Pride Rock," the king declared, making his way out of the ditch.

* * *

The lionesses stared uncomprehendingly at the creature Simba had gently lowered onto the raised dais where he and Nala usually slept. Nala came forward and gave Daniel a cursory sniff. "What is it?" she asked.

"I'm telling you, it's a baboon," Bado insisted, coming forward and indicating the creature's hands. "See, opposable thumbs."

"Where's his fur?" Vitani asked.

"Maybe it fell out," Bado suggested.

"Um Bado, baboon's don't have feet like this," Nyota pointed out, lifting one of Daniel's legs with her paw to show off his sneakers.

"It stood upright," Timir pointed out. "It's back was completely straight."

"Simba?" Nala said, turning to the king. "What do you think?"

"I don't know," Simba replied. He gazed down at Daniel contemplatively.

Nala glanced at Asante and her eyes widened. "Asante, what happened to you?" She walked over and gently touched Asante's face.

"Ow," Asante yelped as Nala touched the lump on his forehead. "The creature threw a stone at me," he explained.

Nala snarled and took a threatening step towards Daniel.

"Nala, wait," Simba said, positioning himself between Daniel and the queen.

"That thing hurt our son and you just let it get away with that?" Nala accused.

"He had to," Asante explained. "Grandpa stopped us before we could bring the animal down."

"Grandpa?" Timira said.

"He means my father," Simba explained.

All the lions fell silent, staring at Simba blankly.

"Um, Your Highness," Boga ventured, "your father's dead."

Simba regarded the pride sternly. "I saw what I saw."

"I saw it too," Asante insisted.

"Asante, you took a rock to the head," Kopa pointed out.

"But Dad didn't," Asante pointed out. "And we saw the exact same thing."

Simba turned away, "you can all believe what you wish," he said dismissively, returning to Daniel's side. He gazed on the youth thoughtfully. "My father wants this creature to live. I don't know why but I intend to follow his wishes."

Nala moved to sit beside Simba. "I believe you," she said in a hushed voice.

Daniel moaned, lifting a hand to touch his throbbing head. Several of the lions skirted away while others moved closer out of curiosity.

"He's waking up," Kovu declared.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Kopa replied sarcastically.

Kovu jabbed Kopa with his elbow.

"Who's that?" Daniel mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, so now he speaks," Kopa scoffed.

"What's your name?" Simba asked.

"Daniel," the creature replied, opening his eyes slowly. When he saw the lion standing over him, his eyes bugged out.

"Have a pleasant nap?" Simba asked crossly.

Daniel let out an ear-splitting scream, startling all the lions in the den. He rolled off the platform and edged backwards until his back was pressed up against the wall. Several of the lions leapt out of his way, just as startled as he was. He looked in every direction, finding himself surrounded by a little over forty lions and lionesses in the cave – and as Daniel examined them, he realized they all had what appeared to him to be human eyes.

"What is wrong with you?" Babu demanded, rubbing his ears.

"He's scared, obviously," Kiara said sympathetically.

"I'm still peeved at you for throwing that rock at my head," Asante declared.

Daniel's eyes shot from one lion to the other as they spoke, his eyes growing wider. Finally, he covered his ears and started rocking back and forth. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening…"

Simba moved closer to Daniel. "Um, excuse me," he said.

"Back off!" Daniel cried out, inching away from Simba. "You're not real! Okay, none of you are real!"

"How's that?" Mheetu asked.

Daniel gaped at Mheetu. "You're talking lions," he declared accusingly. "Lions don't talk!"

Several of the lions looked mildly insulted. "Says the guy who couldn't answer a few basic questions when we first met him," Afua scoffed.

"This is a hallucination," Daniel asserted, rising up and startling the pride with his strangely erect stance. "I hit my head in the crash," he explained to himself, "so now, I'm seeing giant talking lions."

"Just calm down," Simba instructed, moving towards Daniel.

"Leave me alone," he shouted, rushing towards the exit. Again several of the lions leapt out of his way.

Once outside, Daniel skidded to a stop and scanned his surroundings. It took a moment but he soon realized he was on the immense kopje he'd seen from the plane before it crashed. He started pacing back and forth. "I'm sleeping right now," he assured himself as the lions began to follow him outside. "This is just a dream. I just need to wake up." He clenched his eyes shut and counted backwards. "Three, two, one, wake up," he opened his eyes, finding nothing had changed. He moaned and sat down in a fetal position. "Please, wake me up," he whimpered, covering his head with his arms and starting to cry.

Simba stepped from the group and watched Daniel. Seeing the strange creature weeping, the king couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He walked towards Daniel and took a seat beside him. "You said your name was Daniel?" Simba whispered gently.

Daniel nodded, keeping his head covered.

"What kind of animal are you?"

"Human," Daniel mumbled.

Simba carefully placed a paw on Daniel's shoulder. The human – _such a strange word_, Simba thought – flinched at his touch but didn't move, allowing the king to give the youth a comforting pat.

"Is it just me or does this Daniel fellow sound like a lion?" Kula asked.

Several of the lions nodded in agreement.

"Has anyone considered the possibility that he's actually a lion?" Kopa suggested. Everyone in the pride looked at Kopa blankly. "I mean like a really messed up looking lion."

"Let's revisit that idea later," Mheetu suggested.

"I think it was Grandpa," Asante suggested. "When we found Daniel, I don't think he could understand us. Then Grandpa did something to him – made it so he could talk like a lion."

"Okay, let's say for the moment that we believe that you and Simba did see Mufasa come back from the dead," Babu said. "Why did he have to make the – what did he call himself again?"

"A human," Kovu noted.

"Yeah, that. Why would he make the _human_ talk like a lion? All the other animals can understand us and vice versa."

"Daniel, why are you here?" Simba asked.

The human slowly lowered his arms and looked at Simba. He recognized that it was the same lion that had led the other lions that chased him – except that his eyes were different. Before, they were golden brown with slit pupils. Now, they seemed like human eyes, except with red irises and yellow sclera. "It was an accident," he said. "We were just passing by to look and then one of the engines malfunctioned – and we crashed."

Simba's eyes widened. "Crashed? You were on the flying object?"

Daniel nodded. "We were inside it."

Simba looked away for a moment to take in this strange bit of information. He turned back to Daniel. "You said, 'we.' Was there someone else with you inside the object? Another human?"

Daniel nodded. "Bruce. He was piloting." Daniel's eyes filled with tears. "He didn't make it."

Simba frowned sympathetically.

"What are you going to do with me?" Daniel asked.

Simba thought about it for a moment. "For now, nothing. We'll figure something out tomorrow morning."

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 6**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Whether held in captivity or out in the wild, lions are dangerous and should not be approached by anyone except highly trained individuals. STAY THE F-CK AWAY FROM LIONS, THEY WILL NOT MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOU! Brought to you by the _Stay The F-ck Away From Lions Foundation_.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 6

Bahari was opening the microwave to take out the popcorn when the phone rang. "Hello?" he greeted aloofly as he answered the phone. "Yes, this is Bahari Musa," he confirmed. He listened to the person on the line for a moment and his eyes widened. "What?"

Two other men were in the living room watching a baseball game while Bahari was on the phone. "Oh, come on!" Ricky shouted, tossing an empty soda can at the TV. "I hate this umpire. Get your head out of your ass!"

"Shut up for a minute!" Bahari shouted from the kitchen.

The two visitors glanced at their friend in surprise. Phil stood up and headed towards the kitchen door, watching as Bahari continued to speak on the phone.

Bahari nodded, his eyes vacant. "Yes," he said in a weak voice. "I understand." Slowly, he hung up the phone.

Phil waited. "Bahari?"

Bahari glanced at Phil and then at Ricky, who was staring from his recliner. "That was a ranger from the Simba Game Preserve," he informed his friends in a distracted tone.

"What did he want?" Phil asked.

Bahari looked up slowly. "They said my son's missing."

* * *

Daniel lay just outside the lion's den, waking up with a throbbing ache in his shoulder from sleeping on the hard ground all night. He sat up and winced when he realized his arm was still asleep. As he waited for the stinging tingles in his limb to fade, he took note of the three lions resting nearby, the large felines having slept outside the den to keep watch over him, though he wasn't sure if they were there for his protection or to prevent him from escaping.

One of the lions sleeping near him was their apparent leader, the one called Simba. _Simba – that's Swahili for lion, isn't it?_ he asked himself. _So apparently lion speech translates into English _and_ Swahili. How the hell does that make sense? _Daniel continued to study Simba, fascinated by the monarch. Despite the seeming hopelessness of his stranding and his presently questionable sanity, Daniel felt strangely secure with Simba close by – _even_ _though the lion was ready to kill me the other night_, Daniel conceded.

The other two lions were Simba's sons, if Daniel remembered correctly. The larger one was named _Kovu – or was it Kopa? No, right, it's Kopa._ Kovu was the brown one and he was in the den with Simba's daughter, _her name's Kiara, isn't it?_ As for the other son, who slept beside Simba, Daniel remembered his name was Asante. Though fully grown, Asante was a bit diminutive when compared to the other lions in the pride. He was even smaller than some of the females and Daniel had the impression that he was much more timid than the rest of the pride – would he be the pride's equivalent to an omega in a wolf pack?

Daniel's stomach growled and he started to fantasize over the granola bars he'd left at the plane. He realized he would have to go back to get his supplies – or maybe it would be best if he just went back and stayed at the plane until the rescue party came looking for him – if a rescue party even arrived, that is.

Two voices nearby caught Daniel's attention and he watched as a reddish-brown warthog and a graying meerkat strolled up the rocky path leading to the den's entrance.

"…And then the vapor rises up into the sky where it's colder, which makes the vapor freeze back into water. I think that's how it rains," the warthog was saying.

"What rubbish," the meerkat scoffed. "I'll tell you what really makes it rain. It's the blue stuff in the sky – it's blue cause it's made of water and sometimes it leaks."

Daniel tilted his head at the strange pair as they came closer.

"Look at that, Simba and the boys are outside waiting for us," Timon declared. "Them and – and… What the heck is that?" Timon's eyes narrowed on Daniel.

"Hi," Daniel mumbled, waving a hand.

Timon and Pumbaa shrieked, startling the three lions awake. "Human!" Timon wailed, leaping up into Pumbaa's forelimbs like a damsel.

Kopa rubbed his eyes before regarding the new arrivals. "Timon, Pumbaa, meet the new guy," he gestured at the human, "Daniel."

Simba rose. "You know what he is?" the king asked his childhood friends.

Timon and Pumbaa nodded nervously. "Yeah, he's a human," Pumbaa exclaimed. "They're bad news!"

"Nice to meet you too," Daniel muttered.

"Why are you afraid of humans?" Asante asked.

"Tons of reasons," Timon declared, climbing out of Pumbaa's arms. "Deforestation, air pollution, those plastic rings that go around soda cans…"

Daniel stood up and stretched his limbs. "Yeah, thanks for the negative generalization of my entire species." He walked past the three lions and started down the rocky path. He'd gone about twelve feet when he paused and looked around at the fields and far off mountains. He glanced back over his shoulder. "Um, which way is my plane?"

The lions glanced at each other in confusion. "Plane?" Simba asked.

Daniel groaned. "The big flying thing I was riding," he explained, extending his arms out as if to mimic the shape of airplane wings.

"Oh," the three lions said simultaneously.

"…Pop idols, shopping channels, and don't get me started on reality television…" Timon continued, ignoring the conversation going on between the lions and the human.

"Don't forget animal cruelty," Pumbaa suggested.

"Hush Pumbaa, I'm handling this," Timon insisted. "What else is there about humans that's bad? Oh right, animal cruelty…"

"They get it!" Daniel shouted at Timon. "Humans equal _bad_. We're all in agreement that the sooner I'm out of here, the better. So could one of you please show me how to get back to the plane?"

"I'll take you back," Simba offered.

"Can I come too?" Asante asked.

Simba nodded. "Give me a moment to let Nala know where we're going." The king then walked back into the den.

Kopa stepped closer to Asante and whispered so only his brother could hear. "Keep close to Dad and don't take your eyes off the human," he instructed. "Timon and Pumbaa aren't making a lot of sense right now but they're usually a good judge of character. They probably have a valid reason for distrusting these humans."

"What are you going to do?" Asante asked.

"Discuss the matter with Mom and Kiara," Kopa replied.

* * *

It took about an hour to retrace their steps and return to the plane wreckage. Daniel stopped outside the door, remembering that Bruce's body was still housed inside. Rubbing his neck with both hands, he decided that he couldn't wait for a rescue party to see to Bruce's burial. It would probably take several days before someone came looking for them and, in that time, Bruce's body would begin to rot and attract scavengers. With Simba and Asante looking on, Daniel went into the plane and, with some difficulty, carried out the wrapped body of his friend. Gently laying Bruce down, Daniel began to dig a hole, using a large rock to break apart the hard earth and shoveling the loosened dirt with his hands. He knew he didn't have the strength or the tools necessary to bury Bruce very deep but he could at least get him deep enough to cover him with stones to keep animals from disturbing his remains.

"What's he doing?" Asante asked, keeping close to Simba as Kopa had instructed.

"Burying his companion's remains," Simba replied solemnly.

"Why?"

Simba shook his head. "I suppose it's just the custom of their species."

Daniel had to pause a few times to cry, but eventually he managed to dig a two-foot-deep grave large enough for Bruce's remains. He slid the body carefully into the hole, still wrapped in the fire blanket, and began pushing the dirt back over it. Once the dirt was in place, Daniel started gathering football-sized rocks from the surrounding area and placed them over the disturbed earth to keep other animals from digging up the grave. Once he'd finished building the crude cairn over the remains, and slumped back into a sitting position and hugged his knees.

Simba moved closer and sat down beside Daniel. "I'm sorry about your friend," he said gently.

Daniel stared at the rock mound distractedly, his mind wandering back to the day he first met Bruce…

_It had been an hour since they left the airport and Bruce was tapping the steering wheel with his thumb in sync to an Elvis Presley song on the radio as he drove along the dirt road. The weather was a lot more comfortable than Daniel had expected. The coolest months countrywide were usually around June and July. As Daniel absentmindedly watched the passing scenery, an unassuming collection of modern buildings standing in stark contrast to the African landscape came into view. Bruce pointed towards the buildings. "There she blows," he said with a smile. "The headquarters for the Simba Game Preserve."_

_"Why do you call it the _Simba_ Game Preserve?" Daniel asked. "I know the word means 'lion' but you have other animals in the game preserve besides lions, don't you?"_

_Bruce shrugged. "The mascot on all our marketing materials is a cartoon lion so - meh."_

_Daniel looked back at the headquarters. "So if that's the headquarters, where is the preserve?"_

_Bruce smiled. "We're in it," he replied._

_Daniel looked around in confusion. "But there are no fences," he noted._

_"Fences would disrupt the migration paths of the herds," Bruce explained._

_"But how do you keep trespassers out of the preserve?"_

_Bruce frowned then. "Well, that's the rub, I suppose."_

_They pulled up to the main building and Bruce waited while Daniel retrieved his suitcase. There were two small passenger planes in a nearby runway that Bruce pointed out, which the preserve used for flight tours. As they got closer, Daniel also saw three jeeps that were used for safari tours. They walked past the visitor center towards the office building and Daniel paused outside the main entrance to read the inscription over the entrance; _Protecting the Big Five_. "What does that mean, the Big Five?"_

_Bruce smiled. "The big five game animals," he explained. "It was a term used by big-game hunters for the five animals that were the most difficult to hunt on foot." Bruce counted the five animals off on his fingers. "Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard, Rhinoceros, and Lion."_

_"It's a hunting term?" Daniel asked with a frown._

_Bruce nodded. "My job, aside from piloting the flight tours, is to keep these animals safe from big-game hunters so they can repopulate their numbers. Presently, all these species are classified from 'near threatened' to 'critically endangered', except the buffalo which currently holds a conservation status of 'least concern' but we don't allow hunting of buffalo on this preserve either." Bruce pulled the door open for Daniel and gestured for him to head inside._

_Bruce lead Daniel to the animal hospital, pushing a door open to reveal a room where dozens of sterilized wire cages were kept. There were several small creatures in various stages of recovery waiting forlornly to be released back into their habitats. "Another job for the rangers is to bring in any injured or sick animals we find while patrolling the preserve," Bruce explained. "Fixing them up – well, that's Charlie's job."_

_"Charlie?"_

_"That would be me," a woman declared as she pushed her way past some swinging doors with a Cape hare in her arms, it's back leg bound in a fresh cast. She took it over to one of the cages without looking at the two men, placing the hare very gently inside the cage and securing the door. The doctor was a middle-aged Caucasian woman with light red hair and blue eyes wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a T-shirt with the preserve's leonine mascot printed on the front._

_"Daniel, this is Dr. Charlotte Carter."_

_"Charlie's fine," she said in a bored tone, walking over and shaking Daniel's hand. "So you're my new intern," she noted, looking him up and down. "Well, glad to have you." She gestured to the nearby cages. "We mostly get small critters in here so don't expect anything bigger than what you see." __Charlie checked her watch. "I don't need you right now so you can go settle in." She pointed to a door. "We have a room set up for you. Just go through that door, turn left down the hall and it will be the second door on the right. You can take a look around, say hi to everyone, and the cafeteria is open from eight AM to six PM. If you'll excuse me, I got some things to do." Without another word, she left the room._

_"She's – abrupt," Daniel noted._

_Bruce patted his shoulder. "She doesn't show it but she's a sweetheart," the ranger explained._

_Daniel glanced out a window and noted an approaching jeep. Once it parked, a young Tanzanian woman with dark brown skin and buzzed hair climbed out. She wore a green park ranger's uniform, which consisted of a green button-down shirt, breeches, calf-high boots, and a beret. She carried a rifle over one shoulder and looked as intimidating as she was pretty._

_"Who's that?" Daniel asked, staring unabashedly at the African woman._

_"That's Adia Kiprotich, another park ranger," Bruce replied. He smirked at the distracted look on Daniel's face. "She's a little old for you, Kid," he chuckled._

_Daniel blinked in confusion. "What?"_

"I said, 'Do you really intend to stay out here?'" Simba repeated, drawing Daniel out of his reminiscence. "The Outlands have almost no food or water. Surviving out here will be – difficult, to say the least."

Daniel glanced at the lion and shrugged. "Well, if a rescue party does come, I want to be here to…" Daniel trailed off and his eyes widened. "Oh…"

"What's the matter?" Simba asked.

"No, no, no…" Daniel moaned, shaking his head. "They won't know where to look. Bruce changed course partway through the flight."

Asante tilted his head. "I'm lost again."

"Before we left, Bruce submitted a flight plan to the aviation authority so everyone would know where we were. But he deviated from the flight plan midway through the trip because he told me about that kopje and I wanted to see it." Daniel pointed towards Pride Rock, its tiny outline just barely visible in the distance. "This place – the coordinates weren't listed in the flight plan."

Simba gently placed his paw on Daniel's shoulder. "So no one – no other humans will come looking for you here?"

Daniel shook his head. "I don't know," he said anxiously. "I mean – maybe they'll expand the search beyond the route in the flight plans when they don't find us along that route but – I don't know how wide they'll extend the search or how long it will take them – or if they'll even come out here at all."

Asante looked around the barren setting. "So you'd have to wait out here a really long time?"

Daniel nodded, burying his face in his arms.

"There's no way you can signal the other humans?" Simba suggested.

Daniel looked up suddenly. "The flares," he gasped. He shot to his feet and hurried into the plane. Asante started to follow, curious to see what the insides of the metal bird looked like. Simba intercepted him, still wary of the flying object.

Daniel found the supplies he'd inventoried the other day still arranged on one of the seats. He grabbed the box with the flare gun and flares, carrying it out of the plane and setting it down to show the lions.

"What is that?" Asante asked, leaning in closer.

"A flare gun," Daniel explained, opening the box and taking out the tool. "If another plane comes close to this location, I can fire this gun and it will draw their attention."

Asante stared uncomprehendingly at the flare gun for a moment. "Can you show us how it works?"

Daniel shook his head. "I have to conserve the flares. Each one can only be used once. I'll need both of them in case the first flare doesn't catch anyone's attention."

"From how far away would someone be able to see this flare gun?" Simba asked.

"They wouldn't see the gun," Daniel corrected. He picked up one of the flare cartridges and presented it to Simba. "The gun shoots the flare up into the sky and it would be the flare they see. They'd probably be able to see it from a couple of miles away."

Simba nodded. "So it wouldn't make much difference if you used the flare here or at Pride Rock," he suggested.

Daniel stared at Simba in surprise. "I guess not but…"

"Then I recommend returning to Pride Rock with us and waiting for your rescue party there," the king declared, granting Daniel a fatherly smile.

"But why are you trying to help me?" Daniel asked. "You don't know me; we're not even the same species. Why do you care what happens to me?"

"Well, last night we _were_ just going to eat you," Asante admitted, "but Grandfather apparently didn't want us to do that."

"Grandfather?" Daniel asked.

"My father," Simba explained. "He was the spirit that protected you from us last night."

Daniel's eyes widened. "The spirit? You mean – that lion ghost? That wasn't my imagination?"

"No, it was real," Asante confirmed.

Daniel shook his head. "Talking animals – and ghosts?" He rolled his eyes. "Okay, sure, why not?" He looked at Simba. "Still, I just don't get… Why are you being so nice to me?"

A wistful look passed through Simba's eyes. "When I was a cub, I was forced from my home and family. I would have died if not for the compassion and kindness of two unexpected friends." He smiled at Daniel. "I suppose I'm merely following their example."

"Then why were you going to kill me last night?" Daniel countered sardonically.

Simba frowned. "We thought you were dangerous – that you might have been a…" Simba trailed off and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We were mistaken and my father's spirit showed us you weren't a threat."

* * *

"Okay, so maybe we never had any direct contact with humans," Timon admitted, "but we have it on good authority that they cause all kinds of problems."

Kopa, Kiara, and Nala regarded the meerkat and warthog apprehensively as they waited outside the den. From where they stood, they could see Daniel setting up a spot near the back of the cave where he would sleep. The human arranged a makeshift bed on the cavern floor with three seat cushions from the crashed airplane. "But how dangerous could humans be?" Kiara asked doubtfully. "Just look at Daniel. He's so vulnerable; I've never seen an animal his size move so slowly or so weakly."

"He came to the Pride Lands riding a giant flaming – whatever that thing was," Kopa responded. "Even broken, it still almost killed Asante, Faraji, and Bado. If humans can create something like that, what else can they make?"

Nala gazed at Kopa solemnly. "What would you propose we do, then?" she asked.

"Send the human away," the prince asserted. "Maybe Daniel himself is not an immediate threat but others of his kind could be and I'd rather we didn't have them come here looking for Daniel and bring other harmful devices."

Kiara frowned at Kopa. "How can you suggest something so cruel?"

"I'm thinking about the pride's safety," Kopa insisted.

"Your father has already made his decision," Nala informed the heirs. "We will give sanctuary to Daniel until he is reunited with his herd." Giving Kopa no chance to protest, the queen walked into the den to see if Daniel needed any help.

"I don't think humans refer to their groups as herds," Pumbaa noted.

Kopa turned to leave the den and Kiara followed. Timon and Pumbaa remained to watch Nala and Daniel. The queen was inquiring about the cushions. Daniel tried to explain, describing fabric, stuffing, and floatation devices as best he could to the lioness.

"What do you think, Timon?" Pumbaa asked. "Does Daniel seem like a bad person?"

Timon shrugged. "He hasn't really done anything bad," the meerkat pointed out. "Although he said he doesn't like bugs so that's a point against him."

Kopa and Kiara came out of the den and walked partway up the promontory.

"Father said that Grandfather wants us to help Daniel," Kiara said.

Kopa groaned in frustration. "Again with that?" he scoffed. "Why am I the only one in this pride who doesn't believe in ghosts?"

"You believe in Father, don't you?" Kiara demanded. "And Asante also saw Mufasa. You know they aren't lying and it's not possible for them to imagine the same thing at the exact same time."

"I know Dad isn't lying," Kopa conceded, "but maybe Asante's just humoring him because he doesn't want the rest of us to think Father's going senile."

"Stop," Kiara said darkly. "Don't you dare suggest our Father is losing his mind."

"He's getting old, Kiara," Kopa persisted. "I'm worried about him."

"He's not crazy!" Kiara snarled.

"Wow," Kovu said in surprise as he walked up to the prince and princess with Vitani. "What's wrong with you two?"

Kopa stared solemnly at Kiara for a moment. "Nothing's wrong," he replied coolly. "We just had a disagreement."

"I hope this isn't how you two plan to resolve all your quarrels when you ascend the throne," Vitani said in a disapproving tone. "How can the four of us rule the Pride Lands together if we respond to disagreements by biting each other's heads off?"

Kiara grunted irritably and walked away, Kovu following. Vitani nuzzled Kopa's cheek consolingly.

"I don't want to believe that Dad's delusional," Kopa said softly, "or that Asante could be lying to protect Dad's reputation. But I can't just ignore the problems that have occurred since Daniel arrived or the warnings Timon and Pumbaa have heard about these humans."

"So it's completely beyond the realm of possibility that Simba and Asante were in fact visited by your grandfather's spirit?"

Kopa gave his wife a resentful look.

Vitani shrugged. "It could happen," she said.

"What could happen?" Daniel asked as he came out of the lion's den with Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa.

Kopa cleared his throat awkwardly. "Nothing," he said guardedly. "All set up?"

Daniel nodded.

"The hunting party will be leaving in an hour," Vitani informed Daniel. "We should have dinner ready before sunset. I hope you like waterbuck."

Daniel grimaced. "Um, actually I'm a vegetarian."

The lions stared blankly at Daniel.

"You mean a herbivore," Nala suggested.

"Sort of," Daniel conceded. "My species is omnivorous but some of us choose not to eat meat."

Nala nodded. "Timon, Pumbaa, please take Daniel to find some leaves for his supper."

Daniel laughed. "Well I don't really eat leaves but if you can show me where some fruit grows, that would be great."

"No problem, Kid," Timon replied. "They got really nice fruit in the Upendi Grove."

"Hey, maybe we'll see Nyota while we're out there," Pumbaa suggested.

"What!" Kopa snarled. "Why would Nyota be in the Upendi Grove?"

Timon and Pumbaa yelped simultaneously. "Did we say Nyota?" Timon laughed nervously. "We meant to say _nuts_. Maybe we'll see _nuts_ while we're out there." He grabbed Daniel's shoelace and started yanking on his foot to get him walking. "Yep, off to find some fruit and _nuts_ at Upendi. No Nyota out in Upendi, hehe."

Daniel allowed himself to be dragged away by the meerkat and warthog while Kopa glared after them suspiciously.

"Why is Kopa angry that Nyota is out at the Upendi Grove?" Daniel asked.

Timon wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. "Because Kopa doesn't approve of Nyota dating and lions only go to Upendi with their boyfriends or girlfriends."

Daniel laughed. "So Upendi is basically Lover's Lane?"

"Yeah, and if Kopa catches Nyota and Timir out there, he's going to rip Timir a new one."

* * *

Early the next morning, some of the younger males of the pride met at Five Stones to do some sparring. In the center of the arena, Asante circled Faraji cautiously, his large cousin eyeing him. Timir, Bado, and Fasa watched them from the sidelines.

"Come on, Sante, you can't win a match if you don't attack," Faraji coaxed.

Asante leapt forward and Faraji caught him with his paws, slamming Asante on his back. Asante growled and rolled away, dislodging Faraji's paws. "I can't do it," Asante snapped.

"It's because you keep holding back," Timir pointed out.

"Let's take a break," Faraji suggested.

Asante slumped in the grass, grunting moodily.

"It seems a bit surreal," Bado noted, "things just going right back to the way they were – as if nothing happened. I mean we discovered an entirely new species – and it's living with us at Pride Rock."

"Not to mention that giant stone bird almost falling on you, Faraji, and Asante," Timir added.

"Hey Uncle Asante, you and Grandpa have spent the most time with the human," Fasa pointed out. "What's he like?"

Asante shrugged. "I didn't talk to him that much," he replied.

"Did he say if other humans would come to the Pride Lands?" Bado asked.

"He says others might come to look for him but I don't think they'll stay."

"Do you think the humans are the Lion Hunters from those stories?" Timir asked.

"No way," Faraji said. "That guy Daniel is hardly any bigger than a baboon, he couldn't hunt a lion. Plus, he's a herbivore."

"Actually, Grandma said he's an omnivore who chooses not to eat meat," Fasa corrected.

"Why would someone choose not to eat meat?" Faraji scoffed. "Meat's delicious."

Asante stood up and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" Fasa asked. "We haven't finished practicing."

"I'm not in the mood right now," Asante muttered as he continued on.

The other youths watched Asante's departure somberly.

As Asante got closer to Pride Rock, he saw Daniel sitting on one of the lounge boulders gazing earnestly off towards the south, his flare gun sitting beside him. Asante meant to walk past without saying anything but Daniel glanced over his shoulder at the lion. "Hey," he greeted reservedly.

"Waiting for that rescue party?" Asante asked.

Daniel nodded.

"You're going to get bored just sitting there every day," Asante pointed out.

Daniel shrugged and turned back to continue his lookout.

"Suit yourself," Asante grumbled as he continued on.

Daniel bit his lip before looking back at Asante. "I'm sorry for throwing that rock at you the other night," he called.

Asante paused and turned to face him. "Well, I was trying to hunt you," Asante pointed out. "Can't really fault you for trying to defend yourself." He walked over to where Daniel sat. "So how far away from the Pride Lands do you live?"

Daniel thought about it for a moment. "About seven or eight thousand miles, I think."

Asante's eyes bugged out. "Really?" He sat down next to Daniel. "Did you ride that – um, airplane all the way here?"

Daniel shook his head. "I rode a larger one that first took me across the ocean, and then I rode the smaller one from Tanzania out over the Serengeti."

"Tanzania? Is that far from the Pride Lands? What's it like where you live?"

Daniel shrugged. "It's different. There are hundreds of countries where humans live."

"I'd like to see these other places," Asante said, looking off into the horizon.

"Um, I don't think you would," Daniel disagreed. "Where I come from, it's not very lion-friendly. You should stay here, where the lions are protected."

Asante stared at Daniel questioningly before turning back to the horizon. They sat in silence for a while, just staring off into the distance.

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 7**

* * *

**Note from the writer:** Before anyone says anything, yes, I'm aware Timon and Pumbaa come across humans several times during the TV show _Timon & Pumbaa_. However, I don't include this show within the timeline or canonicity of my fan fiction because of the inconsistencies and the overall silliness of this TV series, the same reasons I was reluctant to include _The Lion King 1½_ within my fan fiction's timeline. I may have caved in and included _The Lion King 1½_ within my fan fiction's canonicity but I steadfastly refuse to acknowledge the _Timon & Pumbaa_ TV series as canon.

I also wanted to point out that, based on the outline of this fan fiction and the length these chapters tend to be, I'm fairly certain this fan fiction is going to be much longer than any of my previous fan fictions. I hope you all are okay with how drawn out this fan fiction is going to be. Heck, a lot of you may even like how drawn out the story will end up being, considering this is my last fan fiction novel.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 7

Daniel left the lion's den as he'd done every day for the past week, taking his customary position on one of the lounge boulders. He first took a moment to orient himself, pointing towards the rising sun and mumbling, "East," and then turning south, "Simba Game Preserve HQ." He pulled the flare gun out of the box, set it down beside him, and settled into a cross-legged position. Once he was comfortable, he pulled out a pencil and the sketchpad he'd been using for a logbook.

_Eighth day since the crash. Walked further from Pride Rock yesterday with Asante. He showed me a place called Five Stones, which is a clearing with five large stones. Not very original. Been talking to other animals… _Daniel rolled his eyes. "This isn't a survivor's journal, it's a friggin' fantasy novel," he sighed before continuing_. One of the things I've noticed about the animals, besides their excessively large body masses, is their longevity._

_The animals can accurately measure time by using the dry and rainy seasons, measuring one year over the course of two seasons. By asking the ages of several creatures, I've discovered that the smaller animals all live up to three or four times longer than their expected lifespans in other parts of the world. The larger animals also live beyond their predicted ages but to lesser degrees. The lions of Pride Rock for instance tend to live up to fifteen or sixteen years – which is half a decade longer than average. I think it might have something to do with the land – maybe a medicinal plant the herbivores eat, which would then pass to the predators once they've eaten the herbivores. Or maybe it's the water supply…_

"Why do you always scratch up that leafy stuff?" Asante asked.

Daniel jerked slightly, surprised by Asante's sudden arrival. He relaxed when he saw who it was. "I'm writing a journal," Daniel explained.

Asante took a seat beside Daniel and glanced at the scribbles on the page. "I don't get it."

Daniel shrugged. "It's a human thing."

"So how long are you gonna sit here today?"

"I don't know," Daniel mumbled, closing the notepad and setting it aside. "Seems like the only thing I can do out here is sit and wait for a rescue plane – well, that or take really awkward walks where all the animals look at me like I'm a circus freak."

"Circus?" Asante asked, tilting his head.

Daniel was about to explain when the image of a lion being forced to jump through flaming hoops popped into his head. "Um, never mind."

"At least walking is more interesting than sitting around doing nothing," Asante pointed out, "especially when you're not even taking a nap."

Daniel blinked as another thought occurred to him. He flipped his notepad open and began jotting down some other notes. _In addition to contradicting all the usual interpersonal behaviors of other lions, this pride also deviates from the expected sleep cycle of lions, which is roughly twenty hours daily. On average, these lions only sleep up to thirteen hours a day. Additionally, they operate primarily on a diurnal schedule as opposed to the crepuscular or nocturnal schedule of other lions. So far, I've only observed them taking a brief two-hour nap at noon each day…_

"Again with the scribbles?" Asante asked.

"I'm trying to make sense of everything," Daniel explained. "Writing it down helps me keep it all straight in my head."

"What are you trying to make sense of?"

Daniel closed the notepad and looked at the lion. "Well, one thing that's off about this place is the size of all the animals. Every creature I've come across is larger here than they are in the rest of the world. Even the vegetation is larger and more abundant…"

"Are you calling us fat?" Asante demanded indignantly.

Daniel gave Asante a disdainful look. "No, not fat – I mean bigger; taller, longer, more muscular… All the lions and lionesses here are roughly three hundred pounds larger than the lions outside this territory – two hundred pounds larger than the average tiger even."

"What's a tiger?"

"Another cat species. Basically, they look like lions except they're usually larger, though shorter at the shoulder, have no manes, and their fur is orange with black stripes."

Asante raised an eyebrow. "And I thought cheetahs looked weird."

"Tigers are believed to be the largest cat species. In fact, the largest recorded tiger weighed one thousand and twenty-five pounds. However, if I had to guess from just looking at him, your uncle Mheetu probably exceeds that record."

Asante laughed. "Yeah, Uncle Mheetu's a big guy," he agreed.

Daniel sighed in wonder. "The largest _recorded_ lion only weighed eight hundred and twenty-six pounds, documented back in 1970. If the scientific community learned about Mheetu, it could be the biggest…" Daniel trailed off and frowned. "Um, no pun intended. It could be the biggest find in zoology."

"Nineteen-seventy?" Asante asked. "What does that number represent?"

Daniel paused a moment to figure out how best to explain. "It's how humans number their years. It means one thousand, nine hundred, and seventy years into our common era." He waved a hand distractedly as he returned to the topic at hand. "Anyway, what's even more bizarre about the average weight of the lions in this pride is the fact that you all are wild lions and the eight-twenty-six pounder I mentioned was a lion in captivity. On average, lions tend to be bigger when they are reared in captivity. Up till now, the largest recorded lion living in the wild was a six-hundred-and-ninety-pound lion discovered in 1936…"

"Wait a second," Asante interrupted. "You said 'lion in captivity' – as in a _captured_ lion?"

Daniel froze, looking a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh…"

"Who captured these lions?" Asante asked.

Daniel sighed. "Humans," he admitted.

Asante stared at Daniel. "Humans? Like you?"

Daniel shook his head. "Not like me. I believe lions should be left to roam free in the wild. That's why I came to Africa. I'm working with other humans to protect this territory from being disturbed – to keep the wildlife safe."

Asante tilted his head curiously. "So, you're trying to protect our lands?"

Daniel nodded

"Asante," Kopa called.

Asante glanced over his shoulder at Kopa. "Yeah?" he called back.

"Come over here, we need to talk."

Asante grunted and left Daniel's side. As he approached Kopa, Asante could tell by his brother's expression that he was about to be lectured. "What?" the younger lion sighed.

"You've missed a week's worth of fighting lessons," Kopa scolded, "that's what."

"I've been watching out for Daniel," Asante explained.

"And no one else can keep an eye on the human?" Kopa countered.

"Why are you being such a drag?" Asante groaned.

Though he sat several feet away, Daniel was close enough to overhear some of the conversation.

"Because you're my squire and it's my job to get you ready to become a knight." Kopa noticed Daniel looking at them and frowned. "Do you mind?" he said reproachfully.

Daniel stood up and hopped off the lounge boulder. "Sorry," he mumbled as he walked away out of earshot.

"He wasn't doing anything wrong," Asante said in Daniel's defense.

"I don't want you spending so much time with the human," Kopa asserted. "We don't know anything about him or his species."

"If you want to know more about him, just ask him."

Kopa stared doubtfully at Daniel, who took a seat in the grass several yards away. "Another time," he muttered. "Right now, we need to get you caught up on training."

Asante looked away miserably. "Don't you recognize a lost cause when you see one?" he mumbled.

Simba was returning to Pride Rock from his morning patrol when he noticed his sons by the lounge boulders. He made his way towards them and his smile faded when he saw how troubled they were.

"You're not a lost cause?" Kopa asserted, his tone softening. "You got the skill, you just keep psyching yourself out. If you didn't hold back…"

"The one time I didn't hold back, I almost killed Faraji."

Kopa hesitated. "We never did talk about that, did we?" the future king noted.

Asante looked at the ground evasively.

"Asante, if there's something wrong…"

"You can't do anything about it," Asante snapped, brushing past Kopa.

"Asante," Kopa objected.

"Just leave me alone!"

Simba stepped in Asante's path, frowning solemnly at him. "Asante, come take a walk with me," the king instructed.

"What about Daniel?" Asante protested.

Simba turned to Kopa. "You'll accommodate Daniel, won't you?"

"What, me?" Kopa scoffed.

"Thank you, Kopa, you're a big help," Simba said pleasantly before Kopa could object. He started to walk away, Asante reluctantly following.

Kopa groaned and turned to retrieve the human. Daniel was poking the dirt with a stick when Kopa reached him. The human looked up and flinched when he saw it was Kopa and not Asante. "I'm to be your host today," Kopa informed Daniel grumpily.

Daniel stood up quickly and faced the lion. Kopa's face almost came up to Daniel's eye level and the human shivered at the sheer enormity of the lion. "Where's Asante?" Daniel asked.

Kopa glowered at him. "He and my father have some things to discuss." He turned and started walking away. When Daniel didn't follow, Kopa paused and looked over his shoulder impatiently. "Well, come on," he instructed.

"Where are we going?" Daniel asked, not moving yet.

"The Pride Land Knights are holding practice sessions for the squires," Kopa explained. "I'm one of the instructors. Now can we move along?"

Daniel sighed and started to follow Kopa. They walked in silence for twenty minutes, though the awkwardness made it feel like hours. Daniel recognized the path they were on, the route that led to Five Stones. His feet started to hurt and he paused by a tree to pick up a long branch. Testing its strength, he used it as a walking stick. Kopa paused and studied Daniel as the human hurried to catch up with him, the new walking stick making louds taps on the path. For a moment, Kopa was reminded of Rafiki and his staff – but the prince shook his head, discarding the thought.

"Something wrong?" Daniel asked.

"No," Kopa grunted, walking on. "Keep up."

"You don't like me, do you?" Daniel ventured.

Kopa halted and turned to face Daniel. "I don't know you," Kopa explained. "I don't know what you are, where you come from, or what you're capable of. You appear harmless and don't seem aggressive but I can't ignore the way you came here."

Daniel looked confused. "The way I came here? You mean on the airplane?"

"Your _airplane_ almost killed my brother, cousin, and another lion. One of the spinning bladed appendages…"

"I think you mean the propeller," Daniel corrected.

Kopa narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Fine, the _propeller_ almost cut them to ribbons."

Daniel nodded. "We didn't mean for it to hurt anyone."

"But you can make other contraptions – things that _are_ meant to harm others?" It may have been a question but it didn't sound like one.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah – I mean, not me but other humans do know how to make things - _weapons_ that are designed to hurt others."

"And will the humans who come looking for you use their weapons on us?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, not the ones who'll come looking for me."

Kopa nodded. "But there are humans, aside from your friends, who would come to hurt us."

Daniel thought for a moment. "Are all lions good?"

Kopa blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

"Are all lions good?" Daniel repeated. "Do lions even understand the concept of good and evil? Bad guys, criminals, villains?"

Kopa nodded. "There are evil lions," he admitted solemnly. "Some of them were even members of our family."

"Well, it's the same thing with humans. Some of us are good and some of us bad. And for your information, me and my friends are keeping the bad humans out of your kingdom."

Kopa frowned skeptically. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, that's so," Daniel shot back. "The Pride Lands are part of a large territory that me and several other humans have established as a nature preserve, meaning no humans are allowed to enter with weapons to hunt animals." Daniel waved his arms exaggeratedly. "So you're welcome!"

Kopa stared at Daniel for a moment and then shrugged. "Okay," he said as he turned around and started to walk away.

Daniel stood motionless for a moment. "Okay?" he scoffed. "That's it?"

"Yeah, _okay_," Kopa retorted, pausing to look back over his shoulder. "You told me what I needed to know. Now we're good."

Daniel glowered at the lion.

"There's one thing I don't understand," Kopa noted.

"What's that?" Daniel sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Why couldn't you understand us when we first met? And for that matter, why couldn't we understand you?"

Daniel shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Humans and animals just – can't talk to each other. At least, not where I'm from."

"So how are you talking to us right now? And how is it that you talk like a lion instead of – I don't know, a cheetah or a rhinoceros?"

Daniel pointed up to the sky. "I think it was that lion's ghost."

Kopa groaned. "Not you too."

"What?" Daniel replied defensively. "There was a ghost. I saw it."

Kopa gave Daniel a skeptical look. "Are you sure you weren't imagining things?"

Daniel glared at Kopa. "There was a ghost," he said angrily. "I'm not crazy!"

"Why do people think that shouting 'I'm not crazy' makes them seem less crazy?"

"I know what I saw!" Daniel shouted irately.

"Okay!" Kopa snapped defensively. "Calm down, I believe you."

"Damn straight," Daniel declared, walking past Kopa huffily.

"Kopa," Nala called as she and Kiara walked up the path after them.

Kopa and Daniel turned to the approaching lionesses. "What are you two doing here?" Kopa asked.

"We're going to watch the knights and squires spar," Nala replied.

"Don't the lionesses need to hunt?" Daniel asked.

"Today's our day off," Kiara replied. "Vitani's leading today's hunt."

Kopa cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Kiara, you think we could have a word alone?"

Kiara frowned at Kopa and then looked to Nala.

"We'll meet you both at Five Stones," Nala said, nuzzling Kiara and Kopa before walking on. "Come along, Daniel."

Daniel glanced at Kopa and Kiara questioningly before following the queen.

"The human says he also saw Mufasa's ghost," Kopa told his sister.

Kiara raised a brow. "So you believe the _suspicious human_ but not your own family?"

Kopa grunted wearily. "I wasn't trying to say that Dad and Asante were crazy or lying – I mean, I know that is what I technically said but…"

Kiara sighed. "I know you weren't trying to be unkind but it irritates me that, after all these years, you still don't believe any of us when we say that we saw Grandfather's spirit. Do you still doubt me when I say that Grandfather led me to you?"

Kopa was quiet for a moment. "Let's say for the moment that his ghost really does exist. Why hasn't he shown himself to me?"

Kiara blinked in confusion. "What?"

"If Grandfather really is up there and you, Dad, and Asante have all seen him, why hasn't he shown himself to me?" He sighed. "Did I do something to disappoint him? Am I unworthy?"

Kiara didn't respond for a moment – and then she unexpectedly swatted Kopa on the side of the head. "It's not because you're unworthy, you dork," Kiara laughed. "It's because you've never needed Mufasa's guidance. You've always known the right thing to do – or almost always. I think you may be the wisest of us all – even though you always pretend to be clueless. And the few times you needed guidance, you had the rest of us to help you. If you weren't good enough for Grandfather, he wouldn't have visited me and sent me to find you."

Kopa rubbed the spot where Kiara had thumped him. "All right, I won't question you guys about Mufasa's spirit anymore – unless you all start frothing at the mouth."

Kiara smiled. "Good enough." She nuzzled her brother. "You think we'll argue like that when we're co-rulers?"

Kopa shrugged. "Probably, but it's not like we're going to rip the kingdom in half just from bickering," he chuckled awkwardly, "are we?"

"Well, if we do, of course everyone will blame you," Kiara said with a dark smirk.

"Huh?"

"Coregency was your idea, remember?"

Kopa stood silent for a moment. "F-ck me and my dumbass ideas," he sighed.

* * *

Asante walked alongside Simba as they made their way through the savannah. The king didn't say anything for the moment.

"Aren't you going to ask me what my problem is?" Asante asked.

"Not if you don't wish to discuss it," Simba replied with a smile. "When you're ready, I'll be happy to listen."

Asante lowered his head gloomily. "I don't want to be a knight anymore."

Simba kept looking forward, a slight frown touching his lips. "If that is what you wish."

Asante looked surprised. "Really? You're not going to try and talk me into staying a squire or order me to keep training?"

"It's your life," Simba stated. "You're an adult now and perfectly capable of making your own decisions."

Asante stared at his father for a moment. "Are you disappointed in me?"

Simba paused and nuzzled Asante affectionately. "No, I'm not disappointed in you. I just wanted you to feel like you belonged – that you were a valued member of the pride."

"You can't value something that isn't valuable," the prince said dejectedly.

Simba gazed sadly at his son. "Why would you say that about yourself?"

"Because I'm no use to anyone," Asante replied.

"Asante," Simba said sympathetically, "your important to us all."

"You just don't get it," Asante muttered, walking ahead. "No one will ever understand."

"I would if you'd explain it to me," Simba responded, his voice growing anxious. "Asante, you can tell me anything. Whatever's wrong, I can help you…"

"No you can't," Asante shouted, whirling about to face Simba. "No one can. There's something wrong with me and no one can fix it! I'm scared every minute of every day, I sometimes can't tell the difference between the past and the present, and…" Asante broke off in midsentence, choking back the rest of his admission.

"And what?" Simba insisted.

Asante's eyes filled with tears. "And I still have nightmares about Grandma's death."

Simba stared at Asante for a moment, eyes stricken. "But you told me you haven't had that nightmare since you were a cub."

"I lied," Asante moaned. "I didn't want to bother you with it. I don't want to be a nuisance anymore."

Simba sprung forward and pulled Asante against his chest with one forelimb, nuzzling him protectively. "Asante, what happened to your grandmother wasn't your fault."

"I know that," Asante whimpered. "It's not about me feeling guilty. It's Adui! I feel like he's still chasing us – like he's still coming after me. No matter how many times I tell myself he's dead, it's like I can't get away." Asante sobbed hoarsely. "I'm scared, Dad!"

Simba's hold on Asante tightened and he stroked his son's back. "My poor boy," he whispered, his voice quivering.

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 8**

* * *

**Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)** - An acute type of anxiety disorder that can result from any psychologically traumatic experience, which may include witnessing or experiencing a threat to one's physical, sexual, or psychological wellbeing; for example, a near-death experience or witnessing the death of someone else. While post traumatic stress (aka acute stress reaction) will invariably occur after these types of experiences, PTSD is a less occurring but more persistent form of anxiety that overwhelms one's coping ability. Some of the common symptoms of PTSD include reliving the traumatic experience in nightmares and/or waking flashbacks, avoiding experiences correlated with the trauma, and/or increased stimulation such as anger, hypervigilance, restlessness, and/or an inability to stay asleep. It is distinguished from acute stress reaction in that PTSD persists for over 30 days and can disrupt all aspects of life. PTSD can last briefly or become a chronic condition. While it may go into remission, one can relapse even years later.

* * *

**Note from the writer: **I tried to figure out where the Pride Lands were in relation to Mt. Kilimanjaro based on the screenshots of Kilimanjaro from the films but, between the first and second movie, the geographic location of Kilimanjaro and/or Pride Rock seems to switch. In both films, animals are seen heading towards Pride Rock for the presentation ceremonies of Simba (first film) and Kiara (second film). In both films, animals (elephants in the first film, birds in the second) are seen moving from the right side of the screen to left with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background. Now, in the first film the morning light shines on the left side of the mountain (sunlight shines from the east in the morning), indicating the elephants in the picture are south of Mt. Kilimanjaro and heading east towards Pride Rock. However, in the second movie, the morning light shines on the right side of Kilimanjaro, indicating the birds are north of Kilimanjaro and flying west towards Pride Rock. Honestly Disney, really sloppy work. So is Pride Rock northwest or southeast of Kilimanjaro? It's a tossup, I guess. I decided that the elephant herd and flock of birds shown in these scenes might not necessarily be heading for Pride Rock. In fact, the films could have just arbitrarily shown Kilimanjaro without it even being near Pride Rock. We certainly never see it on the horizon in any other scenes. So I looked at a map of the area around Kilimanjaro to try and find a nice secluded area for the Simba Game Preserve and Pride Rock. I chose an expanse of undisturbed territory between Lake Natron and Arusha. My fan fiction works on the basis that Pride Rock is east of Lake Natron and the HQ of the Simba Game Preserve is south near Arusha, which is roughly one hour's drive from the Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Also, I decided to research whether or not there were any historical examples of two monarchs ruling over the same kingdom. The idea initially came to me because of the fact that some lion prides have two ruling males - three males in very rare cases. In terms of historical kingdoms, I discovered that co-rulership isn't a completely alien concept. This is how I learned the term "Coregency" and there have been instances of it in England, Germany, Sparta, and the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Roman emperor Hadrian instituted a tradition where the emperors could appoint adopted brothers or comrades as their coregents of Rome. Coregency still exists today in Andorra, which is currently ruled by the Bishop of Urgel and the President of France. Sorry Kopa, you're not the first person to come up with this idea.

**PS:** I'm running into a bit of a writer's block. For the next chapter, I need some sort of natural disaster or threat that would endanger one or more lions so that another lion can save them - not saying who these specific lions are yet. It's got to be something like the buffalo stampede in the first film or the brushfire in the second film. If you folks could give me some suggestions, I'll pick the one I think works best and give credit at the end of the chapter to whoever's suggestion I accept.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 8

Daniel sat cross-legged some distance from the arena where the males were sparring. Nala and Kiara lounged beside him, watching curiously as he whittled the tip of his stick with his knife, cutting the end into a point. Every so often, he would look up and watch the combatants but his attention would quickly return to the weapon he was fashioning.

"That pointed end looks dangerous," Kiara noted.

"That's the idea," Daniel explained distractedly. "If I'm attacked, I can jab this at my attackers to hurt them. It's sort of a compensation for my lack of claws and fangs."

Nala raised an eyebrow. "So it's a long artificial fang," she suggested.

"Exactly," Daniel mumbled, pausing to blow some loose wood shavings from his lap. "It's called a spear."

Nala and Kiara glanced at each other and shrugged before looking back to watch the training session.

As he continued to work, Daniel's mind started to wander and he thought of his parents, remembering how things were before their world imploded; the three of them seeing movies, driving upstate to the Adirondacks, going to church…

Daniel's thoughts then took a radical turn and he gazed around at the Pride Lands, the perfectly secluded rolling hills of the African savannah covered in waves of green grass, lush trees, clean lakes… Daniel pulled his backpack off and retrieved his sketchpad and pencil.

_I just had a very weird thought, _he wrote._ The "Out of Africa" theory postulates that homo sapiens originated or first evolved in Africa and then migrated throughout the rest of the world. So if Adam and Eve did exist, that means they were created in Africa. Furthermore, that would mean the Garden of Eden would also have been in Africa._

Daniel paused in his writing, looking up just as Faraji managed to best one of Bado's brothers in the arena. He returned to his notepad and continued writing.

_I can't believe I'm going Biblical right now but I guess the things in the Bible can't be all that far-fetched compared to ghosts and talking animals. There was a serpent in the Garden of Eden that could talk. I wonder if that means the other animals in Eden could talk as well. So is that where I am? Is this Eden? If it is, where's the angel with the flaming sword that's supposed to block the entrance and keep mankind out?_

Daniel's hand froze over the pad and he shivered.

_Did the airplane go down because God was trying to keep Bruce and me away from the Pride Lands – away from Eden?_

Daniel stopped and closed his eyes. Taking a breath, he set his pencil down and ripped the page off the pad, tearing it up until it was confetti. "Insane," he muttered.

"Is something wrong, Daniel?" Nala asked. "You were mumbling."

Daniel shook his head. "Just thinking out loud."

"Your Highness!" Zeb screeched, flying towards Five Stones.

The lions paused in the sparring practice and looked up at the approaching hornbill.

"Zeb?" Kopa said.

Nala and Kiara rose and hurried towards the arena to see what was wrong. Daniel remained where he was and just watched.

Zeb landed amongst the lions and looked around frantically. "Your Highness?" he called out. "Simba?"

"My father's not here," Kopa told the hornbill.

"What's the matter?" Kiara asked as she and Nala hurried over.

Zeb turned to the Queen and heirs. "There's a crazed elephant going on a rampage through the kingdom," he explained. "He's hurt dozens of animals so far."

There were distressed murmurs among the gathered lions.

"What do we do?" Timir asked, looking at Kopa and Kiara.

Kopa opened his mouth but no words came out. He looked at Kiara.

"We need to warn the herds," Kiara declared. "Chumvi, go round up some messenger birds to spread the word to the rest of the kingdom."

Chumvi nodded and rushed off to find some messengers.

Seeing his sister jumping into action helped Kopa snap out of his daze. "Zeb, where is the elephant right now?"

"I last saw him heading towards the gazelle territory."

Kovu gasped. "My sister's leading the hunting party to that area!"

Kopa looked at his brother-in-law and panic formed in his eyes. Not only would his wife be in the elephant's path but also Nyota. Taking a shaky breath, Kopa forced himself to remain calm and turned to the majordomo. "Zeb, do you think the elephant can be reasoned with?"

Zeb shook his head. "I don't think so – it's gone completely mad and attacks anyone it sees."

The prince's expression turned grim. "Listen up," Kopa called out. "All available fighters will accompany me. We're going to try and stop the elephant."

"How?" Kovu asked.

"Well, it's too big to fight head on but we can try and lure it away from the herds."

"How do we lure it?"

Kopa sighed. "We piss it off."

Kovu stared blankly at Kopa. "Well, pissing folks off is your specialty."

"Bite me."

"My case and point."

"After we lure it away, what next?" Tojo asked. "Unless we finish it off, it would probably just head right back into the Pride Lands."

Kopa nodded solemnly. "We'll lead it towards Mufasa's Gorge. If it proves too dangerous to reason with, we'll maneuver it towards the cliff and knock it in." He noticed Nala staring at him. "Do you have anything to add, Mom?"

Nala shook her head. "No, I believe you and Kiara have the situation well in hand," she said, though Kopa could tell by the look in her eyes that she was very worried.

"Zeb, keep looking for my father and let him know what's happening," Kiara instructed the majordomo.

The hornbill nodded and bowed to Kiara. "As you command, my princess." He flapped his wings and took off in search of the king.

Daniel stared at the rallying lions in amazement. He stood up and walked over to them, holding his crude spear. "Can I help?" he asked.

Kopa looked at Daniel and frowned. "You tell me," he replied.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably. "I mean I think I could be helpful, depending on the situation."

Kopa walked around Daniel and pushed himself under the human from behind, bouncing Daniel up and onto the lion's back. "You better hold on, then," Kopa suggested.

Daniel sat awkwardly on Kopa's back for a moment, expression amazed. "I'm riding a lion," he declared disbelievingly.

"No kidding," Kopa grumbled. "Hold on to my neck or you'll fall off."

Daniel just barely managed to wrap his arm around Kopa's neck before the lion charged forward, leading his party towards the gazelle territory. The human held his spear in his other hand while straddling Kopa's flanks with his knees to secure himself. "I'm starting to have second thoughts," Daniel called out.

* * *

Simba and Asante walked back to Pride Rock in silence, the king staying close to his son. "I'm glad you opened up to me, Asante," Simba whispered.

Asante sniffled a little and cleared his throat. "I feel better," he tried to assure the king. "Talking about it helped." He didn't sound very convincing.

Simba nuzzled Asante. "If you say so."

Timon and Pumbaa waved as the two lions arrived. "You guys are just in time," Timon declared, holding up a leaf covered in enormous grayish green beetles. "A smorgasbord."

Simba smiled at his friends. "Maybe another time, Guys," he chuckled.

Timon shrugged and offered the insects to Asante, who covered his mouth and looked as if he were going to throw up.

"Your Highness," Zeb called, flying towards them. He landed in front of Simba and Asante, his chest heaving.

"Hey, it's Zazu," Timon declared, amiably smacking Zeb on the shoulder.

"No, that's Zeb," Pumbaa corrected. He tilted his head as he examined the hornbill. "I mean, I think it's Zeb."

"Ugh, they look too much alike," Timon muttered.

"Zeb, what's the matter?" Simba demanded.

Zeb forced out the message between breathless gasps. "Elephant – rampaging – gazelle territory – Kopa – Kiara – gonna lure it – to gorge…"

Simba's eyes widened and he rushed past the three smaller animals. Asante hurried after him. "Rest up, Zeb," Asante called over his shoulder.

Zeb dropped to a sitting position. "This job's so hard!" he moaned.

* * *

"Now, this time, charge with the group," Vitani whispered.

"I know, Mom," Nyota whispered back.

They were hiding in the grass spying on an unsuspecting herd of gazelle. There was a dense forest to their right and a wide expanse of savannah grasslands to their left.

"Not that I'm saying you aren't a perfectly fine hunter on your own," Vitani specified.

Nyota rolled her eyes. "I know."

"It's just Kiara's adamant about your working with the team."

"I know."

"And she just worries about your safety, just like I do."

"I know!" Nyota shouted.

Startled by Nyota's voice, the gazelles all looked up at once and stared at the two lionesses hiding in the grass.

"Damn," Nyota groaned.

"Go!" Vitani ordered the hunting party.

The large group of lionesses charged from their hiding places. Nyota was the only one who didn't follow. Her claws were planted in the soil and she was holding deathly still. "What is that?" she mumbled, feeling a strange vibration below her feet. After a few seconds, she leapt after her mother's hunting party. "Mom, wait up!" she called.

Several yards down, Uzuri managed to tackle a gazelle to the earth while her fellow huntresses rushed past after the rest of the herd. Once her prey was defeated, Uzuri looked up at Nyota in surprise. "Fancy meeting you here," she greeted. "At the back of the group? I don't think that's ever happened to you before."

"Uzuri, do you feel that rumbling," Nyota asked.

Uzuri looked confused but, now that she was still, she did feel a slight tremor in the earth. "Earthquake?" she asked.

Nyota shook her head. "It's not constant enough. It's like – footsteps…"

Uzuri remained silent for a moment, observing the steady vibrating beat in the earth. "Really large and fast footsteps," she noted.

Several trees nearby were suddenly knocked over in the forest. The two lionesses discerned a gigantic lumbering mass rushing past through the woods.

"What's that?" Nyota mumbled, starting towards it.

"Something we should stay away from," Uzuri replied, gaping at Nyota in horror as the white lioness hurried after the mass. "Nyota!"

Nyota didn't listen, disappearing into the woods to see what was causing the sounds. Less than a minute later, she dashed back out, panic on her face. "Crap, crap, crap…" she shouted just before the creature broke through the tree line. It was an enormous elephant, a bull standing just under 20 feet tall with 12-foot long tusks. Its roughened skin, customarily dark gray, was pale gray with purple splotchy patches and its eyes had a strange milky cast over them. It reared up and released a violent bellow through its trunk.

"What did you do?" Uzuri cried out.

"I didn't do anything!" Nyota insisted, rushing past her friend. "I just asked if it was all right."

Uzuri dashed after her friend as the elephant's murderous glare settled on them and it rushed forward in pursuit.

Having brought down their second kill, Vitani's hunting party took a moment to catch their breaths. Vitani glanced around for her daughter. "Nyota? Where'd she disappear to?"

Then they heard the elephant's warlike trumpet. Vitani and the other lionesses glanced towards the sound and saw the elephant in the distance chasing after two leonine shapes.

"Uzuri!" Tama cried out when she realized one of the shapes was her daughter.

Vitani recognized the other white furred shape as her own daughter. "Nyota!"

Several yards away, Nyota and Uzuri fled for their lives. The white-furred princess noticed her friend falling behind and slowed so Uzuri could catch up but in doing so, she didn't watch where she was running and caught her front paw on a large stone and slammed down on her chin just as Uzuri passed her. Uzuri skidded to a stop, grabbed the scruff of Nyota's neck in her teeth, and yanked her friend up but their interrupted flight had given the elephant enough time to catch up to them and it reared up over the lionesses, intending to trample them under its colossal front paws.

"No!" a male's voice protested. Timir barreled at the elephant, leaping up and biting down hard on the flap of the elephant's ear.

The elephant roared and shook his head violently but the lion latched onto its flank with his claws. Uzuri and Nyota scurried out from beneath the elephant as it shook itself to dislodge Timir. The other males of the pride surrounded the elephant on all sides and Kopa ushered Nyota and Uzuri back. Daniel was still riding Kopa, arms clung around his neck.

"Timir!" Nyota cried.

"Timir, the girls are safe," Kopa shouted. "Disengage from the target!"

Timir ripped his claws from the elephant's flank and tried to leap away but the elephant swung its trunk around and struck Timir hard, sending him spinning bodily through the air and crashing to the dirt.

"No," Nyota sobbed, almost running forward to help him when Kiara pulled her back.

Kopa and Kovu rushed forward to defend Timir.

"Dude, I'm still on your back!" Daniel reminded Kopa.

Timir struggled to rise, groaning as his left back leg dragged behind him. The elephant was rounding on him when Kopa and Kovu leapt in between the injured youth and the elephant. Kopa roared threateningly, swiping at the elephant's feet with his claws to get its attention.

"Bad idea, bad idea!" Daniel shouted, tightening his hold on Kopa's neck.

Kovu assisted Timir away while Kopa distracted the elephant, continuing to egg on the colossal beast with snarls and clawed swipes. Soon, the rabid creature had forgotten the first lion that attacked it and had now focused its murderous glare on Kopa and the human riding him.

"We're gonna die now, aren't we?" Daniel whined.

The elephant threw its trunk up and bellowed furiously.

"I'd say he's adequately pissed," Kopa decided, spinning around and bolting in the opposite direction.

* * *

Simba and Asante arrived at the gorge some time later. Both kept well away from the edge of the precipice and looked around for the alleged elephant. "Why would your brother and sister plan to bring the elephant here?" Simba demanded angrily. "So many have died here and now they have to risk more lives by coming to this accursed place."

"Maybe that's the idea," Asante suggested. "To lure the elephant here and kill it by knocking it into the gorge."

"Why is the elephant attacking?" Simba asked no one in particular. He turned and looked anxiously at Asante. "You should go back to Pride Rock," he suggested.

"Huh? Why?"

"Things are about to get very dangerous. I want you somewhere safe."

"What about you?"

"I have to stay to make sure nothing happens to the others."

"But what if something happens to you?" Asante insisted, his voice turning hysterical.

"Asante, please," Simba implored, nuzzling his son's cheek. "Don't fight me on this."

Asante was about to respond but his gaze shot to the ground. "Dad?" he gasped.

Simba followed Asante's stare to the ground. Small stones were vibrating at their feet. Simba felt a cold chill run down his spine, remembering a day many years ago when he'd seen some pebbles vibrating in the same manner just before a stampede of wildebeests came after him. Asante huddled beside Simba and the king wrapped a protective arm around his son.

"It's coming," Simba said darkly.

At that moment, Kopa came shooting into view from around a rocky corner with Kiara and Nala close behind him. Daniel was still clinging to Kopa's back, holding his spear in one hand. A few other lions came into view and then the rabid elephant rounded the corner, its milky eyes trained on Kopa.

"Scatter," Kopa shouted to his companions. "It's focused on me."

"You mean focused on _us_, you asshat!" Daniel shouted.

Simba ushered Asante away and huddled with him behind a large boulder. "Kopa, what are you doing!"

"It's cool, I got a plan!" Kopa called, skidding to a stop near the edge of the cliff and spinning around to face the elephant.

Daniel turned and looked over the cliff, eyes bugging out. He then turned to watch the approaching elephant. "Kopa, I f-cking hate you!"

Kiara and Nala hurried to Simba and Asante, the four watching as the elephant barreled towards the prince and human.

Kopa kept his legs tensed, planning to leap out of the way so the elephant would charge off the cliff without hitting him.

"I know what you're thinking and it's a really stupid plan!" Daniel shouted.

"It'll work," Kopa insisted, glancing at his family, who huddled several yards to his left.

"It won't work!" Asante disagreed.

"It'll work."

The elephant was three yards away when Kopa dodged to the right out of its path. The enormous creature cried out when it finally noticed the cliff and skidded on its enormous paws, its front toes coming within an inch of the cliff's edge before it stopped.

"It didn't work!" Kopa shouted incredulously.

"Really?" Daniel grumbled. "Who would have thought?"

The elephant turned and glared at them.

"Stop!" Simba roared, running forward.

"Dad, stay back," Kopa warned.

The elephant glanced over its shoulder at the king.

"I order you to halt!" Simba shouted at the elephant authoritatively.

"Simba, he's not going to listen," Daniel called. "He's sick and out of his mind!"

The elephant turned its back on Kopa and Daniel to face the king, eyes blind with fury. Simba's resolve buckled under the creature's mindless glare and he took a step back. "I am the Lion King and you will obey me!" he demanded.

Asante couldn't contain his sobs as the elephant took a step forward. Its tusks were perilously close to Simba's face and Asante knew his father was about to die.

_"Grandma!" Asante cried._

_Sarabi turned to Adui just as he lifted his claws to strike._

The elephant reared up.

"Dad!" Asante wailed in terror.

Hearing his friend's horrified wail, Daniel felt a surge of adrenaline rush through his muscles. He leapt up on Kopa's shoulders and jumped from the prince's head.

"Ow!" Kopa yelped as Daniel's sneakered foot kicked off his scalp.

The human launched from the lion's back to the elephant's rump where he grabbed the rabid beast's tail like a rope with one hand, gripping his spear in the other. His legs scrambled up until he was on top of the elephant's rear end. The creature paused in its approach towards the king, angered by the tiny animal clambering onto its back. Daniel ran along the elephant's spine, leaping up into the air and raising his spear with the point directed downward. As he came down on the elephant's shoulders, he plunged the spear into the elephant's neck at the base of its skull, driving it in with both hands.

The elephant jerked beneath Daniel as the spear sank into its cerebellum. It tottered on its four legs for a moment, expression going blank. It started to fall sideways towards the gorge.

"Shit biscuits!" Daniel yelped when he realized he was being carried off the cliff too. He leapt in the opposite direction just as the already dead elephant plummeted over the edge. The human barely made the jump and rolled bodily away from the cliff.

The lions stared in amazement as the elephant was vanquished. Simba rushed to see if the human was okay. "Daniel," he called, shaking the dazed human. "Daniel!"

Kopa hurried over and stood anxiously over his father and Daniel. The rest of the pride soon joined them and they all waited.

Daniel's eyes fluttered open. He was covered in scratches and bruises from the jump but he appeared mostly unharmed. He stared up at the many leonine faces looking down at him. "Ouch," he grunted.

Simba was so relieved he couldn't help laughing. He pulled the human into a warm embrace, nuzzling him gratefully. "You saved my life," he declared.

Daniel returned the hug awkwardly, wincing a little when he tried to lift his right arm. "I think I banged my shoulder pretty bad."

Simba moved back to allow the human a moment to inspect his shoulder. Daniel rotated his arm slowly, testing out the joint in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry everyone," Kopa sighed. "I didn't think that plan all the way through."

"Considering how fast everything happened, your plan was the best anyone could come up with," Kiara assured Kopa.

Asante came forward and nuzzled Simba worriedly. "Dad?"

"I'm fine, Son," Simba assured Asante, returning his gesture.

"You gonna survive?" Kopa asked Daniel, regarding the youth apprehensively now. He was greatly alarmed by how the seemingly powerless human had managed to defeat the largest creature in the Pride Lands.

"I'm all right," Daniel grunted halfheartedly, examining himself. His shirt was badly ripped but that seemed to be the worst of it. He stood up on shaky legs and moved over to the cliff's edge, looking down to study the lifeless elephant lying below. "Animals don't usually go into the gorge, do they?"

"Not usually," Nala confirmed.

"Good, cause everyone needs to stay away from the body," the human explained, turning to face the lions. "Whatever disease it had that made it go insane, it could be contagious."

Simba walked up to stand beside Daniel. "A lot of us came in close contact to the elephant," he pointed out.

Daniel nodded. "Right, everyone who came close to it needs to wash themselves thoroughly." He noticed Afua begin to lift his forelimb to his mouth to lick. "No, not like that!" he protested. "Don't lick yourself, or rub your nose, or wipe your eyes. Just find a river and wash yourselves thoroughly." He noticed Timir limping near the back. "You, up here now," he instructed.

Timir looked surprised. "Me?"

Daniel nodded.

Timir came forward and Daniel quickly pulled his backpack off. "I need to disinfect your wounds."

"It's just a few cuts," Timir protested. "And I pulled a muscle in my leg but I'm really not hurt that bad."

"You got the cuts when you came in contact with the elephant. The disease could have gotten in through your wounds." Daniel pulled the first aid kit from his bag and pulled out a disinfectant spray. "This is gonna sting," he warned the lion, "but that means it's doing its job and killing any infection."

Timir looked alarmed and glanced at Simba questioningly.

"I think you should do as he says," the king noted.

Daniel held the can near one of Timir's cuts. "Deep breath," he advised.

Timir gulped.

Daniel sprayed the cut.

"Ow!" Timir yelped.

* * *

All the lions and lionesses involved in the elephant's attack gathered at Zulu Falls to bathe themselves as Daniel instructed. Kopa pulled himself out of the river, a miserable look on his face. "Personally, I think I'd rather go rabid than take a bath again," he noted, shaking himself dry. Vitani pulled herself out next and flinched as she was splashed with water from Kopa's flicked mane. "Sorry," he laughed nervously when she glared at him.

"I don't know, Uncle Kopa," Fasa said. "I think it's kinda enjoyable." Simba's grandson was floating leisurely on his back in the water.

Kovu was helping Kiara wash her back, massaging her wet fur with his paws. "Well, at least no one was seriously hurt," he noted.

"We can be thankful for that," Kiara agreed, "but I hope no one else gets sick."

Vitani glanced over at Timir, who was drying himself in the sun with Nyota. "He saved our daughter's life," she told Kopa.

Kopa also looked over at their daughter and her lover. "Yeah," he mumbled.

Vitani waited a moment. When Kopa didn't do anything, she gave him a hard shove in Timir's direction.

"I'm going," the prince groused. He walked over to the youths and cleared his throat to garner their attention.

Timir looked over his shoulder and yelped when he saw Kopa. "Sir, we were just – I mean, we weren't doing anything…"

"Calm down, Kid," Kopa sighed. "I just wanted to say – thank you."

Timir stared at Kopa blankly. "Come again?"

Nyota gazed at her father and smiled.

"Thank you," Kopa repeated, gritting his teeth in irritation. "You saved Nyota, today. I'm forever grateful."

Timir nodded and smiled. "I don't know what to say, Sir. I just reacted because of how much your daughter means to me…"

"Don't push it," Kopa said coldly.

"Right, I'm shutting up," Timir yelped.

Nyota lightly swatted Kopa's arm. "Don't be a jerk," she scolded.

Asante sat in the river miserably while Nala scrubbed him. "I didn't go near the elephant," he complained. "Why do I have to take a bath?"

"Because your father was near the elephant and he hugged you right after," Nala replied.

"Listen to your mother, Asante," Simba instructed as he stepped out of the river and shook himself dry.

"Can you at least let me bathe myself," Asante groaned.

Simba smiled at his wife and youngest son, realizing how lucky he was to still be with them. He'd looked into the eyes of death that day and if it hadn't been for Daniel – the king couldn't bear to think of what might have happened. Simba glanced around to see where the human had gone.

Several yards upstream, Daniel had stripped himself naked behind a bush. He waited for the lions to finish their baths and leave before he made his way behind the waterfall to shower himself. He stepped under the clean but chilly water and squealed silently through clenched teeth. Once his nerves adjusted to the temperature, he started scrubbing himself down. He'd already disinfected his cuts before leaving the gorge and they no longer stung. As he finished washing himself, he became motionless beneath the cascade and wrapped his arms over his head.

"God, please don't let any of the lions get sick," he whispered.

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 9**

* * *

**Writer's Note:** I wanted to thank everyone who sent me suggestions for the disaster in this chapter. I chose the suggestion given to me by Lord of Beef Dip and Resistant Warrior Madman (awesome profile names, btw). Their suggestion was an infectious disease that affects the herd animals.

**PS:** Yeah, Daniel riding Kopa – that's the reason I decided to specify that the Pride Land lions were so large compared to lions throughout the rest of Africa. I wanted to have Daniel riding lions at certain points in the story and I wasn't sure if normal sized lions could carry humans without hurting themselves. If they can, whatever, giant lions are still cooler than normal sized lions. Case and point, Aslan!


	9. Chapter 9

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 9

A day after the elephant's attack, Simba was making his rounds through the kingdom to check on the various herds and see how they were recovering from the beast's rampage. Daniel accompanied the king, walking beside him with his hand resting on Simba's shoulder. He no longer wore his T-shirt because it was ripped during the fight with the elephant. "Do you need to rest?" Daniel asked. "You sound winded."

Simba smiled at Daniel. "I'm fine," he assured the human.

"The other animals know to bathe themselves to prevent the spread of germs, right?"

"Yes, I sent messengers throughout the kingdom passing on your instructions. Anyone who came in close contact with the elephant should have taken the precautions you outlined – and I stipulated that they wash themselves in rivers that are not drinking sources, as you suggested."

Daniel nodded but looked troubled.

"What's the matter?" Simba asked.

"It's just," Daniel bit his lip, "back where I live, we have what's known as a flu season when people start catching a disease called influenza. Whenever it comes around, the medical communities always give out warnings instructing people to wash their hands regularly and get vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus but there are always a large number of people who manage to catch the flu anyway. It's usually not a big deal because there's medicine to counteract it but – if the elephant's disease is contagious, I don't know how to treat it."

"I think I understand," Simba replied.

"Who knows," Daniel said. "Maybe the elephant had rabies. If that's the case, then everyone should be okay because rabies is usually only transmitted through saliva and the elephant didn't bite anyone – at least not to our knowledge. It might not be a virus at all. Maybe the elephant's illness was a genetic disorder."

"Daniel, how do you know so much about medicine?" the king asked, coming to a stop and sitting down on the crest of a grassy hill.

"I worked part time cleaning a veterinary hospital in high school," Daniel replied. "In between scrubbing down kennels and sweeping the waiting room, I managed to pick up a few things here and there. I also read a lot on biology and medicine – which was sort of the main reason I never made any friends growing up. Bookworms, you know?"

Simba stared at Daniel blankly. "There were a lot of words you just said that I didn't understand. High school? Bio-lodge? What are books and what do worms have to do with them?"

Daniel sighed. "First off, it's pronounced 'biology.' Bi-all-oh-gee."

Simba continued to stare at Daniel uncomprehendingly.

"You want me to explain more slowly?" Daniel offered.

"That would be kind of you," Simba chuckled.

After a few moments, Simba had the general idea of what Daniel's medical experience was. Continuing on, they entered the elephant territory and spoke briefly with the herd. After confirming no other elephants were sick, they moved on.

"They didn't know the sick elephant," Daniel noted, glancing back at the crowd of healthy elephants.

"The sick one must have come from outside the Pride Lands," Simba suggested.

"So, I didn't bring the disease to your kingdom?"

Simba paused and looked at Daniel. "Why would you think that you brought it?" he asked. "You weren't sick."

"I know but…" Daniel looked uncomfortable. "When humans travel, there's always the risk of foreign contaminants being carried over country borders. We have authorities and a security system set up between ports that are designed to minimize the transfer of harmful substances and viruses between countries. Last night, I started thinking – maybe I was carrying a virus that humans are immune to but, because it's never been in the Pride Lands before, the rest of you weren't immune to it."

"So you thought you might have been responsible for what happened?" Simba said sympathetically. "Even if that were the case, you didn't do it on purpose – and from what we've just gathered, we can surmise that it wasn't you. It was a sickness the elephant had when he arrived." He nuzzled Daniel comfortingly. "You've done nothing wrong."

Daniel was a little startled by the lion's unexpected show of affection. As his shock faded, he did what he'd wanted to do since he'd become accustomed to Simba and his pride. Daniel wrapped his arms around the lion's bushy neck and hugged him, rubbing his face in Simba's soft mane. The king purred consolingly and Daniel finally understood that he wasn't alone. Wise, protective, and compassionate – it was impossible not to fall in love with the king.

Simba reminded Daniel of another lion he'd met…

_Daniel was holding the hare steady while Charlie cut the cast off its back leg. "There we go," the veterinarian said in a soothing voice, "good as new." She took the trembling critter from Daniel and transferred it over to a pet carrier. "We'll give him a few minutes to calm down and then I'll hand him off to one of the rangers to take back to his zone."_

_Daniel nodded, pulling off his rubber gloves and tossing them in a trashcan._

_The phone rang and Charlie promptly answered. "Talk to me," she said casually. "Bruce? Wow, wait a sec, slow down." She turned so that Daniel could see the surprised look on her face. "You found what?"_

_Daniel waited, growing curious._

_Charlie nodded. "Right, I'll get ready for its arrival." She hung up and stood still for a moment._

_"What's wrong?" Daniel asked, growing anxious._

_Charlie looked at Daniel in surprise, as if she'd forgotten he was standing there. "Bruce found an injured lion," she explained._

_Daniel's eyes widened. "We're going to treat a lion?" he asked excitedly. "That's so…"_

_"It was shot," Charlie interrupted, hurrying to a cabinet to get the necessary equipment, disinfectants, and tranquilizers._

_Daniel was quiet for a moment before her words sank in. "Poachers?"_

_"This is really bad," Charlie muttered. "We haven't had poachers in the preserve for nearly fifty years." She organized some sterilized implements on a clean steel tray._

_Daniel and Charlie headed outside half an hour later and waited for the rangers to arrive with the injured animal. Soon, a safari jeep pulled up and Bruce hopped out of the driver's seat. He was wearing a green ranger uniform. "You are not going to believe how big this thing is," he told Charlie as he rounded the vehicle._

_Adia jumped out of the passenger seat and hurried to help Bruce, holding her rifle just in case they needed to defend themselves. "It's so big, I'm not sure the tranquilizers will last as long as they're supposed to," she said in a very thick Tanzanian accent._

_"Hi Adia," Daniel greeted, smiling awkwardly._

_"Get back, Dan," she ordered roughly, holding her rifle at the ready._

_"Please be asleep," Bruce prayed as he opened the door. He sighed in relief. "Good, he's still out."_

_Charlie came up and gazed at the animal. "God Almighty!" she gasped._

_"I know," Adia agreed. "A lion this size has to be a new record, right?"_

_"Let's not inform the Guinness World Records," Bruce suggested cynically. "Anyone learns that we have lions as big as this in our preserve and we'll be dealing with a lot more poachers."_

_"Agreed," Charlie replied. "Daniel, bring the gurney over here."_

_Daniel pushed a trolley over to the back of the jeep and looked inside, his eyes going wide at the sheer size of the creature they'd brought. He stared in amazement as Bruce, Adia, and Charlie worked together to transfer the unconscious lion out of the jeep and onto the gurney._

_Once they were in the hospital and the lion was transferred onto the operating table, Daniel took a moment to study the creature. It was a beige colored male with a dark brown mane. Daniel estimated that it stood roughly 5 feet or more at the shoulder. Its pelt was soft, the fur exceptionally long around the chin, and the mane uncommonly smooth and silky._

_Charlie quickly set up the anesthesia to keep the lion under while they treated it. The table had a built in weighing scale and Charlie checked the results once she was sure the anesthesia was in place. "Seven-hundred and eighty-nine pounds," she declared._

_"Is that a record?" Daniel asked._

_"Yes and no," Charlie replied. "The heaviest lion recorded was a male at the Colchester Zoo in 1970. It weighed eight-hundred and twenty-six pounds."_

_"So not a record," Daniel suggested._

_"Compared to captive lions, no. But for a lion to grow this large in the wild is unheard of. The largest wild lion on record was a man-eater weighing six-hundred and ninety pounds that was shot in 1936."_

_"How do you think he got so big?"_

_"No idea," Charlie replied. She pressed her gloved fingers against the lion's ribs to gage the amount of body fat. "He certainly doesn't look like he's from captivity. This muscle definition and body fat index – if he were from captivity, I'd think he'd have more body fat. Something this lean – this is customary for a free range lion." She turned her attention to the gunshot wound in the lion's left back thigh. "This doesn't look good," she sighed. "This wound is about three days old – it's already infected." She made a note on a nearby clipboard. "Got to get him on an antibiotic regiment."_

_Daniel stared at the sleeping lion and gently petted its head. "He'll be okay, right?"_

_Charlie looked at Daniel solemnly. "Don't get attached," she instructed. "If you're emotionally invested, you won't be able to give him the help he needs __– _and it will make it a whole lot more difficult if things don't go the way they're supposed to."

_Daniel nodded._

_"Let's start the surgery," Charlie instructed. "We have to remove the bullet and any dead tissue around it."_

* * *

_Ni opened his eyes and the world around him was blurry. He blinked his vision clear and discovered that he was inside a closed pen, the sides made of wire fencing and steel bars. He tried to stand and groaned as his left side stung. He'd forgotten his injury and lowered himself back down. It occurred to him that he couldn't move his leg. He looked over his shoulder and realized his left back leg was encased in a white cast._

_He jerked his head around at the sound of footsteps and watched as a two-legged creature approached his cage. "Lion Hunter," he growled._

_Daniel gazed at the newly awoken lion, which stared at him through intense golden eyes. He knelt down so that he and the lion were closer to eye level with one another. "How do you feel?" Daniel asked, knowing the lion wouldn't be able to answer or understand him. "You look better, at least."_

_Ni continued to glare at the human as it made odd noises with its mouth. _What are those strange grunts? _He wondered._ Don't these bastards know how to speak?

_Daniel moved a little closer to the cage. "So, what are we going to call you?" he said._

_Ni extended his claws as the human came closer._

_"Let's see. The Swahili word for lion is 'Simba.' How about that?" Daniel thought for a moment. "Nah, too obvious." Without thinking, he reached out and touched the cage._

_Ni lunged at the fencing with a snarl, trying to claw the human through the wires but unable to break through._

_Daniel yelped and stumbled backwards. He watched as the lion shook the wires with its paws and then backed away with a growl. "I guess you're hungry," he suggested in a nervous voice, standing and walking away._

_Ten minutes later, Ni saw the human returning and scowled at him until he saw what the human was carrying – a large joint of mutton. Daniel stopped at the cage and opened a depository on the kennel's side. Dropping the meat inside, he closed the depository and watched as the food tumbled into the cage. "Hope this makes you feel better," Daniel said._

_Ni limped across the pen and sniffed at the meat suspiciously. Looking back up at Daniel, he tilted his head curiously as he regarded the human._

_"We're trying to help you," Daniel explained, again knowing the lion wouldn't understand but feeling he needed to say it anyway._

_Ni listened to the creature's strange grunts. Though he didn't understand their meaning, he thought he sensed a sympathetic tone in them. He lowered himself and began to gnaw on the raw lamb meat._

_Daniel smiled and leaned his shoulder against the cage carefully. "So what are we going to call you?" he asked again, looking away as he thought about it. "What's your name?"_

_"Ni," someone said._

_Daniel blinked and looked at the lion. "Was that you?" he blurted._

_The lion was looking at Daniel._

_Daniel glanced around and confirmed that they were alone. So who'd spoken just then? It couldn't have been the lion. Daniel laughed at himself. "Yeah, that's stupid," he said, looking back at the lion. "Eat up, Big Guy," he instructed. "You'll get better and be home before you know it."_

_Ni watched as the human walked away. "He asked what my name was," the lion whispered. "I'm sure of it. And – did he understand me?"_

* * *

_Daniel sat in the cafeteria looking through his Swahili dictionary. He wore his reading glasses. "Ne, ne, ne…" he mumbled as he flipped through the N section. "No ne," he sighed. "Maybe with an 'I' instead? Ni, ni, ni…" He found an entry for that word and read the translation. "I am."_

_"You are what?" Adia asked, having overheard him as she was walking by with her lunch._

_Daniel looked up and blushed. "Uh, nothing," he replied. "I was trying to find a name for the lion."_

_Adia raised an eyebrow. "And?"_

_Daniel indicated his dictionary. "I thought I'd call him Ni. It means 'I am.' See."_

_"I know what it means," Adia said sardonically, "it's my native language."_

_Daniel laughed nervously. "Right, sorry." He remembered he was wearing his reading glasses and hastily took them off. They were an ugly pair with thick black plastic frames._

_"Charlie isn't going to like that you're naming the lion," Adia pointed out. "You should just refer to it by its case number. Numbering instead of naming will help you keep an emotional detachment and objectivity."_

_Daniel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Charlie already said."_

_"You want to be a zoologist, don't you?" Adia pointed out._

_Daniel looked surprised. "How'd you know?"_

_"Bruce told me," she explained._

_Daniel nodded. He had mentioned to Bruce his interest in becoming a zoologist._

_"Emotional detachment is key to being a successful zoologist, otherwise you'll get upset every time an animal eats another animal."_

_"Jane Goodall wasn't emotionally detached," Daniel pointed out._

_"As I recall, Jane Goodall was criticized by some of her peers for her unconventional methods, saying that her lack of objectivity made her observations invalid because she personified the chimpanzees she studied."_

_Daniel glared at Adia. "Fine, maybe I won't be a zoologist then. Maybe I'll just be a vet instead."_

_"Like Charlie?" Adia countered. "She's right, you're letting yourself get too attached to the lion. You're going to get your heart broken when we release it back into the wild or…" Adia hesitated._

_"Or what?"_

_Adia sighed. "Or if the lion doesn't pull through."_

_"Ni's fine," Daniel asserted. "I've been to see him every day the last week. He's getting better."_

_"Charlie's not so sure."_

_"Well I am sure," Daniel snapped, standing up abruptly and leaving the table. "Ni's going to be just fine."_

* * *

_Ni may not have understood what Daniel was saying but the lion found the human's voice comforting. Daniel sat outside the cage reading a book out loud while Ni lay propped against the wire fencing. Daniel occasionally pressed his flattened palm against the wires to feel Ni's fur. In the past couple of weeks, they'd come to an understanding of some sort. Ni knew Daniel meant him no harm, though Ni had to concede with a heavy heart that he would kill Daniel if it meant escaping – no matter how much he liked the human. He was of the Lion Hunters' species, after all._

_"'No,' said Aslan. 'I am sad and lonely. Lay your hands on my mane so that I can feel you are there and let us walk like that.' And so the girls did what they would never have dared to do without his permission but what they had longed to do ever since they first saw him__ – _buried their cold hands in the beautiful sea of fur and stroked it and, so doing, walked with him." Daniel paused in his reading and looked at Ni. "You know, there was one thing about these books that I hated when my parents first read them to me," he explained. "C. S. Lewis has this stupid idea that once the kids in these books grow to be a certain age, they can't ever go back to Narnia." He shook his head. "Like you have to give up what makes you the happiest when you grow up."

_Ni stared at Daniel blankly._

_"Yeah, I know, you don't understand me," he sighed. "I just turned eighteen a couple of months ago. Guess I'm wondering what it is I'll have to give up now that I'm an adult."_

_Ni lowered his head, feeling extremely tired. Each day, he felt his energy fading and knew it would not be long before he finally left this place._

_"You okay, Buddy?" Daniel asked._

_Ni made a sleepy groan._

_Daniel scratched Ni's fur through the cage. "I'm gonna get you home," he assured the lion. "I promise."_

_Ni glanced at Daniel, touched by the warmth in the human's voice_. Okay, perhaps I won't kill this Lion Hunter after all_, Ni thought. _Maybe just rough him up a little – and only if necessary to my escape.

_"All right," Daniel said, closing his book. "You rest up. I'll be by later with your dinner."_

_As the human walked away, Ni stared after him sadly. "How odd," he mumbled. "I think I might miss that Lion Hunter."_

* * *

_The next morning, Daniel made his way to Ni's cage. He came to an abrupt halt when he realized the cage was empty. Running forward, he scanned the inside just to be certain._

_"Dan," Bruce called as he approached._

_"Where's Ni?" Daniel demanded fretfully._

_Bruce gently placed his hands on Daniel's shoulders. "We couldn't help him," he tried to explain._

_"What are you talking about?" Daniel shouted, shoving Bruce's hands off. "He was getting better!"_

_"No, he wasn't," Bruce continued. "Charlie tried to remove all the dead tissue from the wound but she couldn't get all of it. There was gangrene and…" Bruce wiped his face. "Danny, the lion died last night."_

_Daniel shook his head. "But – no, I promised him! I promised I'd get him home!"_

_Bruce tried to touch Daniel's shoulder. "There are just some things we can't fix."_

_Daniel slapped Bruce's hand away. "Get off me!" Daniel shouted angrily, tears filling his eyes. He ran past the older man, trying to choke back sobs._

"Daniel, why are you crying?" Simba asked.

Daniel buried his face deeper into Simba's mane to hide his tears. "I'm not crying," he mumbled, clearing his throat.

Simba lifted a paw and lightly patted Daniel's back. "Okay," he said, not pushing the subject.

* * *

Uzuri walked out of the lion's den, a disgruntled look on her face. "Come on Girl, wake up," she told herself.

Fasa hurried out after her. "Hey, Uzuri," he called.

The lioness paused and rolled her eyes. "Fasa, I'm really not in the mood right now."

"I just wanted to ask if you were okay," the prince said. "You look a little sluggish."

"I'm fine," Uzuri asserted. "I just slept in too long. I got to go join the hunting party…"

"The lionesses already hunted today," Fasa explained. "They brought back a wildebeest."

"Without me?" Uzuri snapped.

"You were sleeping," Fasa explained. "They couldn't wait for you."

Uzuri grunted angrily and took another step, swaying suddenly.

"Wow, easy," Fasa exclaimed, gently pressing himself against Uzuri to keep her from falling over.

"I'm fine," Uzuri insisted. "Just a little light-headed." She tried to walk again and then her eyes rolled backwards into her head.

Fasa moved quickly and managed to catch her over his shoulders before she hit the ground. "Help!" he shouted.

* * *

The pride gathered in the den that night to see how Uzuri was fairing. She lay sleeping uneasily between her parents. Her temperature was very high and she panted loudly.

"How can she be sick?" Tama demanded frantically, cradling Uzuri in her forelimbs. "The elephant didn't even touch her."

"The disease could be airborne," Daniel suggested.

"What can be done?" Tojo asked woefully, looking over his shoulder at Daniel. "Can you help her?"

"I don't know," Daniel replied, shrinking back a little. "I don't have any medicine and even if I did, I don't know what she has so I wouldn't even know which medicine to give her."

"Then what good are you!" Tojo wailed, tears running down his cheeks.

"Tojo stop," Simba instructed authoritatively. "This isn't Daniel's fault and you're not going to help Uzuri acting that way."

Though they were still keeping their relationship a secret, Faraji and Bado nuzzled each other anxiously near the back of the crowd.

"What if she gets the rest of us sick?" Faraji pointed out, pulling Bado into a protective embrace. "Shouldn't she be kept somewhere else, away from the rest of us?"

"Don't say that," Bado told the older male sternly. "We can't abandon her. She's part of our pride – part of our family."

Tojo was about to snarl at Faraji but when he heard Bado speak in Uzuri's defense, his anger lessened and he returned to keeping watch over his daughter.

Faraji looked at Bado and then lowered his head guiltily. "I'm sorry," he said.

Bado nuzzled Faraji soothingly.

"Is she going to end up like the elephant?" Tama asked, looking up at Daniel pleadingly. "Will she turn violent?"

"I don't know," Daniel replied. "Because she's a different species, it may affect her differently."

Fasa approached from the edge of the group. He knelt down and nuzzled Uzuri's cheek. "Uzuri?"

The sick lioness grunted irritably in her sleep.

"Yeah, I know," Fasa sighed, "I'm annoying and you don't want me around but just listen. You got to fight this. You can survive this. And if you just live, I promise I won't ever bother you again. I won't go near you, talk to you, or even look at you. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Just please…" Fasa's eyes filled with tears. "Please don't die."

* * *

That night, the lions prepared for sleep with heavy hearts. Daniel shifted uneasily on his seat cushions, unable to drift off until many hours after the lions had gone to sleep. He turned over on the cushions and opened his eyes, sitting up abruptly when he realized the den was completely empty. Leaping to his feet, he ran to the cave's entrance to see where the lions had gone.

Outside, he stared in amazement at a sky churning with enormous purple clouds that took on animalistic shapes, some of them opening mouths and releasing audible roars or caws. As Daniel watched, a baboon shaped cloud separated from the rest and floated down to the earth, shrinking in size and finally coalescing into the shape of an actual baboon with dark gray fur, a shaggy white mane, and the facial colors of a mandrill. The creature waved its hand eagerly, gesturing for Daniel to follow.

"This is a dream," Daniel decided.

The baboon cackled and turned around to leave, moving unusually fast for one as old as he appeared to be.

Daniel hesitated a moment, regarding the odd monkey uneasily before deciding to follow. He jogged away from Pride Rock and trailed the monkey through many worn paths and across wide meadows until an enormous baobab tree loomed in the distance. Coming to a halt, Daniel watched as the monkey climbed up into the tree.

"What are you trying to show me?" he mumbled, slowly making his way towards the tree. He stopped near the bottom and looked for a way up. He didn't have the strength or claws to scale the immense tree and was about to leave when a vine was tossed down, presumably by the strange baboon. Daniel grabbed the vine and pulled on it to test its strength. When he was sure of its stability, he used it to climb into the tree.

Sliding into a hovel beneath the branches, Daniel looked around in wonder, discovering a mural of stylized lions covering one wall. The mural appeared to be moving and Daniel reached out to touch one of the figures, a slightly smudged depiction of a lion with a red mane. His eyes wandered up to the top of the mural where an enigmatic figure stood, his form blurred by a golden aureole.

"Hurry now," an old but energetic voice instructed from the branches above. "Must take the medicine." The voice echoed unnaturally throughout the hovel.

Daniel looked up in surprise. "What medicine?" he called out.

The overhead branches were pushed aside and the monkey poked his head out. "There," he said, pointing to a far corner.

Daniel looked to where the monkey gestured and walked across the hovel. In the corner where the monkey pointed was a walking stick with three gourds tied around the head. Daniel took the staff and looked at it uncomprehendingly. "I don't get it," he said.

"You will," the monkey whispered, dissolving into purple clouds and rising up through the branches.

Daniel jerked awake and glanced around the lion's den. Simba and his pride were still there, slumbering. Fasa and Asante lay closest to him and Daniel lightly prodded them.

"Stop it," Fasa whined sleepily.

"Daniel, what are you doing?" Asante whispered, rubbing the spot on his neck where the human had poked him.

"This is going to sound insane," Daniel whispered back, "but I just had a really weird dream and I think I'm supposed to find something. Is there a baobab tree in the Pride Lands?"

The two lions looked at each other perplexedly before turning back to Daniel. "Yeah, several," Asante confirmed.

"It would be a really large tree with a thick trunk. It's situated out in the middle of a field near the edge of the Pride Lands."

"That sounds like Rafiki's tree," Fasa suggested.

"The Tree of Life," Asante confirmed.

Daniel made a double take. "Wait, what? Tree of Life?"

"That's what a lot of the animals call it," Fasa explained. "Its because the leaves are always green, even during the dry seasons."

"Eden," Daniel mumbled.

"Huh?" both lions responded, their voices still hushed.

"Never mind," Daniel said dismissively. "I need you to show me where that tree is."

"How do you even know about it?" Fasa asked.

"It was in my dream. There was this strange spirit that took the form of a monkey and it lead me to the tree…"

"Monkey?" Asante gasped. "Was it a baboon?"

Daniel thought about it. "Sort of. It had the body of a baboon but it was much skinnier and it had the face of a mandrill."

"Sounds like Rafiki," Fasa noted.

Asante's eyes widened. "I'll show you where it is," he declared lowly, rising up.

It wasn't long before Daniel and the two lions arrived at the tree. The human stared up at it incredulously. "Just like in my dream," he mumbled.

Fasa leapt up and dug his claws into the bark, inching his way up the trunk until he disappeared into the branches.

"Hang on," Asante instructed, nudging Daniel onto his back before doing as Fasa did and climbing up into the tree.

"So who was Rafiki?" Daniel asked on the way up. He gripped Asante's mane and tightened his knees around the lion's midsection for stability.

"He was the Grand Vizier of the royal family," Asante explained, "and my father's dearest friend." He pulled himself into Rafiki's hovel.

Daniel slipped off Asante's back and hurried to the corner where the stick had been in his dream – and where it apparently was in real life too. He picked it up and examined it. The walking stick came to just under Daniel's chin in height. "In my dream, the monkey said something about medicine."

Fasa's ears pricked up. "Medicine? You mean for Uzuri?"

"I think so," Daniel replied, "and maybe for anyone else who gets sick."

Asante came closer and scrutinized the stick. "I remember something. I got a cold once and Rafiki opened one of those gourds hanging from the stick. He took blue powder out and blew it into my face. I got better in less than an hour."

Daniel looked at the gourds. "Which one was it?"

Asante frowned. "He replaced the gourds every couple of weeks."

"Open one," Fasa suggested.

Daniel lowered himself to the floor and sat cross-legged. He pulled a wooden cork out of one of the gourds and carefully spilled a tiny amount of green powder into his palm.

"I remember he used green for cuts and wounds," Fasa recalled.

"It used to be yellow but then Rafiki started adding these blue petals to the mixture," Asante noted. "It gave the medicine a bit more oomph." Daniel and Fasa looked at him in surprise. "Rafiki used to let me watch when he prepared his medicines," he explained.

"So you know how to recreate these mixtures," Daniel ventured.

Asante nodded. "I think so."

Daniel examined the powder a moment longer. "If these medicines have expired, we might need to make a new batch," he noted. He pushed the wooden cork back into place and opened the other two, carefully pouring a small dollop from each on the floor, making a mental note of which color came from which gourd.

"Okay, um…" Asante stared at the two small samples and tried to remember their uses. "Purple was for pain relief – like if you had a headache or pulled a muscle – and I don't remember what red was for."

Daniel touched the small sample of red powder and rubbed some of it between his fingers. "Well, Uzuri doesn't have any cuts or a headache – so the red powder must be the medicine we need."

"And a ghost told you this?" Fasa asked doubtfully.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "You sound like Kopa," he muttered, corking the two gourds.

"Sorry. It's just…" Fasa rubbed his temples. "It's Uzuri," he sighed miserably. "We have to be sure about this."

Asante cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I wonder where Rafiki kept the blue powder," he mumbled, stepping away to search the rest of the hovel.

"You got to trust me, Fasa," Daniel said, standing up.

"Hey, look at this," Asante called. He pushed some branches away and revealed a hole in the wall where several corked gourds were stored.

"Wow," Daniel said.

"Yeah," Asante said. "We got a hefty supply here."

* * *

Daniel, Asante, and Fasa returned to Pride Rock a couple of hours later, Daniel lugging a backpack full of gourds containing the red powder. He'd gone through the whole collection and divided up the different medicines, using his pencil to label the gourds by their powder's color. Of the few dozen guards they found, eight of them contained red powder.

"Are you sure it's the red powder?" Fasa asked as they walked towards the den. "There were other medicines in the hollow."

"In my dream, I was directed straight to the walking stick and, of the three medicines tied to it, the red one seems to be the only likely candidate."

"I can't hang Uzuri's life on what _seems_ to be the right medicine," Fasa fretted. "We don't even know how to administer it."

"Rafiki always made us breathe the powder in if we were ill," Asante said. "Orange for coughs, blue for runny noses – although he would mix the purple powder with water and make us drink it for pain relief."

Daniel thought for a moment. "We'll try having Uzuri breathe it in. If she's not better by two days, we'll try mixing it with water and have her drink it."

* * *

Uzuri opened her eyes and lifted her head. There was daylight outside the den. Tama and Tojo rested beside her, the only other lions in the den. Her nose tickled and Uzuri rubbed it, discovering red dust on her paw after she'd cleaned her muzzle.

Tama yawned and lifted her head. Upon seeing Uzuri awake, she moaned happily and nuzzled her daughter. Tojo awoke to the sound of his mate's sob and also happily nuzzled Uzuri.

"Guys, stop," Uzuri protested as they snuggled her. "What's wrong with you?"

"You're all right," Tojo wept.

"You were so sick, Dear," Tama explained.

"I was?" Uzuri mumbled. "How long was I out?"

"You've been asleep for over two days," Tojo informed her, wrapping his forelimbs around her shoulders.

Uzuri yawned loudly. "Okay, I can believe that," she said sleepily.

"It's not just you," Tama continued. "Animals all over the Pride Lands started getting sick not long after you did. Then Daniel found medicine."

Tojo laughed joyfully. "You're going to be all right now," he told her.

Uzuri sighed in response to her parents' exuberant affection but would grudgingly return their loving nuzzles.

* * *

Fasa was returning from sparring practice when Uzuri hurried from the den to greet him. He paused and watched her approach uneasily. "Um, hi," he said.

Uzuri stopped in front of him. "My parents told me what you did," she said. "What you, Asante, and Daniel did, finding Rafiki's medicine."

Fasa nodded. "It was Daniel and Asante, mostly," he said. "Asante remembers which ingredients Rafiki used and he's been helping Daniel make more. I just tagged along and made snarky comments."

Uzuri nodded. "I still want to thank you."

Fasa smiled a little. "You're welcome."

"You spoke to me when I was sick, didn't you?"

Fasa gulped. "Um, yeah."

"I think I remember what you said," she noted. "Something about you leaving me alone if I didn't die."

Fasa nodded.

Uzuri frowned. "It's weird – when I heard that, I was a little disappointed."

Fasa blinked in confusion. "Disappointed? I thought that was what you wanted."

Uzuri shrugged. "I thought so too. I guess – what I really want is for you to just slow down – be patient. If something's going to happen – if you and me do become something meaningful, just let it. Stop forcing it."

Fasa stared at Uzuri blankly. "So…"

"So no more leaving flowers where I sleep, no more offering me your share of dinner, and no more sending messenger birds to deliver love poems."

"What?" Fasa laughed nervously. "You think I do poetry? Me? You've got the wrong lion. Poetry, yuck, that's just…" Fasa trailed off and sighed. "Okay, no more poetry."

Uzuri resisted the urge to grin. "I want you to stop treating me like some prize you have to win."

"I thought girls liked all that stuff," Fasa noted.

"Yeah, some girls – but _this girl_ likes to be wooed a different way."

Fasa's eyes widened. "So – you _do_ want to be wooed?"

Uzuri rolled her eyes. "Bad choice of words. Look, I don't want you to avoid me. Just take a step back and try being my friend instead of a potential mate. And if things develop from there, then great. If not, then at least you have a friend who can give you advice when talking to other lionesses."

Fasa considered her proposal and smiled. "All right," he decided. "I think that can work."

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 10**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 10

It was almost 8:00 p.m. and Bahari stood alone in the hall of the visitor center, holding a cell phone to his ear. He stared solemnly at the African savannah outside the window, the beauty of the starry sky not registering in his grief-stricken eyes. "Hi Chenille," he sighed.

Charlie almost came around the corner but stopped when she heard Bahari's voice. Realizing he was on the phone, she almost left to give him some privacy.

"It's Bahari – leaving another message. What does this one make? Twenty voicemails?"

_Twenty voicemails?_ Charlie thought. Curiosity made her stay where she was and listen.

"So, yeah, just giving you the same update; Daniel is still missing – out in the wilderness – for a week now…" Bahari felt his throat thicken. "I'm still waiting for you to call back – and honestly, I'm quite viciously disgusted with you right now. Whatever, you clearly don't give a rat's ass. I mean why should you, heartless witch that you are?"

Charlie blanched a little.

Bahari suppressed a sob. "I actually fooled myself into thinking that you cared enough about Daniel to pick up the phone when you found out that he's…" Bahari sighed. "If you grow a heart, you can reach me at…" He stopped and laughed humorlessly. "You know what, if you're listening to this message, you've probably listened to the other messages so you already know the number." He hung up.

Charlie stood wide-eyed for a moment and very slowly turned around to leave. Her boot squeaked on the floor.

"Someone there?" Bahari asked.

Charlie sighed and stepped around the corner. "Um, Mr. Musa…" she stuttered.

Bahari looked at Charlie with tear-filled eyes. He was roughly fifty years old, had dark brown skin, black hair that was buzzed short, and dark-brown eyes that looked almost black. He wore jeans, a white dress shirt, and brown hiking boots. He was very good-looking and the resemblance between him and Daniel was striking. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked in a deep, lightly accented voice.

"Um, not much," Charlie said.

Bahari chuckled. "In other words, everything." He gestured with his cell phone. "My ex-wife," he explained.

"Right, the _heartless witch_," Charlie said nervously.

"I shouldn't have said that," Bahari conceded.

"Nah, it's fine. I've called my ex-husband a whole lot worse." She glanced along the hall uneasily. "So, how long have you been in the divorcé club?"

"Eleven years."

Charlie thought for a moment. "So Daniel would have been seven at the time?"

Bahari nodded, staring at the floor.

"And she gave you full custody?"

"She decided that she didn't want to be in the picture." He shrugged. "She sends Daniel postcards sometimes – and gave me her phone number so I could call her if there was an emergency – theoretically, that is. We haven't seen or heard from her in years."

"Daniel seems like a pretty well-adjusted kid, all things considered."

"He tends to bottle things up."

Charlie frowned. "Are we talking about the same kid? The Daniel I met wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to the animals."

Bahari laughed, his eyes welling some more. "He would – when it comes to animals. People, not so much."

Charlie sighed and leaned up against the wall next to Bahari. "Listen, the rangers are…" She sighed and shook her head. "It's been over a week so…"

"They're calling off the search," Bahari ventured emotionlessly.

Charlie nodded. "I'm sorry."

Bahari covered his face and started weeping.

"Mr. Musa, I'm so sorr…"

"Charlie!" Adia shouted as she stormed down the hall.

Bahari and Charlie jumped slightly in surprise. "God, Adia!" Charlie snapped. "You scared the bejesus out of us!"

"Did you hear about the search parties?" Adia demanded irately. "They're calling them off!"

"Yes," Charlie sighed, "I heard and was just informing Mr. Musa." She gestured to Bahari pointedly.

Adia glanced at Daniel's father and sighed. "Sorry."

"I take it that you just got the news," Charlie ventured.

Adia nodded. "They can't do this," she muttered angrily.

"Unfortunately, yes they can and there's not much we can do to convince the higher-ups otherwise."

"F-ck the higher-ups," Adia muttered. "The others can quit if they want but I'm not. Bruce and Daniel are out there somewhere and I'm gonna find them."

"What can you do?" Bahari asked sadly. "Your nature preserve is fifteen-hundred square miles. You can't search the entire area on your own."

"Watch me," she growled, walking past them.

"Oh yeah, this won't go over well with my superiors," Charlie sighed. She winced when Adia slammed a door closed behind her.

* * *

The next day, Daniel sat near the base of Pride Rock with a group of animals. He poured some red powder into his palm and very carefully blew it into the face of a sickly cheetah cub. "Okay," he said to the mother, "he'll need to sleep for about a day but he should be fine now." Its mother thanked Daniel before picking her cub up and departing. Daniel checked his supplies before looking over his shoulder. "How's the new batch coming?" he called.

"It's coming, it's coming," Timon groused, grinding the ingredients together in a bowl.

"We're running low on red leaves," Asante noted.

"We'll get some more after I've treated the rest of these folks," Daniel replied, turning to the buffalo that was next in line.

"It was really lucky that you remembered how Rafiki made this stuff," Pumbaa said to Asante.

"I think Rafiki told me something about this sickness," Asante replied, looking a bit guilty. "I wish I could…"

"Kid, lighten up," Timon laughed. "You just saved a lot of animal's butts by remembering how to make this stuff."

Asante smiled a little. He pointed to the batch Timon was mixing. "Um, Timon, you put too much leaves in that mixture."

Timon paused and looked at the unfinished blend in his lap. "Is that a problem?"

"I think so. Rafiki said the mixture had to be precise." Asante measured out some purple berries from their supplies and nudged them towards Timon. "Here, add these. That will equal it out."

The buffalo standing next in line noticed the berries and gasped. "Aren't those berries poisonous?" he demanded.

Daniel blew some powder into the buffalo's face. "Wait, what's poisonous?" Daniel yelped, turning around to face his friends.

"Great Spirit, you've killed me!" the buffalo screeched, desperately trying to wipe the dust from his face with his hooves.

"Oh calm down," Asante scoffed. "The red leaves neutralize the poison in the berries."

Daniel and the buffalo exhaled simultaneously in relief.

"You're holding up the line," said the female giraffe standing behind the buffalo.

It wasn't long before Daniel had seen to all the animals that had come for treatment that day and he walked off with his friends to gather more supplies.

"The new batches seem to be working a lot quicker than the ones we found in Rafiki's tree," Asante noted.

"You said Rafiki died about four years ago, right?" Daniel asked.

"Yes."

"So the samples we found in his tree are at least four years old. Makes sense that the fresher batches would be more effective. We should probably replace all his medicines when we have the time. You think you can remember the ingredients for the other ones?"

Asante nodded. "I think so." The prince glanced at the human shrewdly. "I think your mane is growing in," he noted.

"Huh?" Daniel asked.

"There's fur starting to grow out of your chin," Asante explained.

Daniel scratched the fuzz on his jaw. "It's called a beard," Daniel explained. "A lot of humans like to shave it off but I don't have a razor with me."

Asante balked at Daniel. "You shave your fur off?" he scoffed.

"Not all of it," Daniel replied mildly.

"You humans are so odd," Asante muttered.

The four companions traveled a good distance towards the edge of the Pride Lands. The leaves they needed didn't grow anywhere else. Once they reached the red bushes with the leaves they needed, Daniel began filling his backpack up with the foliage. Asante, Timon, and Pumbaa helped to pick the leaves.

"You really did meet Rafiki in your dream," Asante noted with a mystified smile. "I mean, how else could you have known where to find the medicine?"

"I don't know," Daniel replied.

"You know, Rafiki could also communicate with the spirits."

Daniel paused and looked over at Asante in surprise. "He could?"

Asante nodded. "I don't know if they visited his dreams but he could actually hear them when he was awake – at least that's what he said. Maybe you're a shaman like he was."

Daniel thought about this for a moment. "I don't think I'm a shaman," he said, gathering more leaves. He glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened. "Asante?"

"What?" the lion asked, continuing to pick leaves.

"There's another lion over there."

Asante looked around to see what Daniel was talking about. His eyes landed upon a lion in the distance. The prince didn't recognize the stranger and realized he was crossing the border from outside the Pride Lands. "Hide," Asante hissed.

"Say what now?" Timon mumbled. "Ack!" he gasped when Daniel grabbed him by the tail and yanked him behind the bush with Asante and Pumbaa.

"Did he notice us?" Daniel asked.

"I don't think so," Asante whispered back.

"What's that smell?" Timon gasped.

"Sorry," Pumbaa said.

There were three muffled groans before the four companions peaked at the lion through the bushes. The stranger was very large, smaller than Mheetu but bigger than Simba. The black mane indicated the stranger was male but he walked quite gracefully for such a hulking lion. The mane was glossy and billowed lightly in the wind, smoothed back so that it left a flat blended widow's peak along the lion's forehead. His golden pelt had a nice luster to it, indicating that this may not have been an ordinary rogue. His piercing eyes were light gray and his face was sharp and streamlined.

"You got any idea who that is?" Timon asked.

"I've never seen him before," Asante whispered.

"Let's get back to Pride Rock and warn Simba," Daniel suggested.

"How do we sneak ahead of him?" Timon whispered.

"We'll need a distraction," Daniel noted.

"He looks like he hasn't eaten in a while," Asante observed, glancing at Timon and Pumbaa.

The meerkat recognized the look in Asante's eyes and frowned. "Et tu, Asante?" he sighed.

"I don't want to be live bait again," Pumbaa moaned.

Daniel and Asante looked at Timon and Pumbaa pleadingly.

Timon sighed. "Just give me a minute to put on my hula skirt."

* * *

Simba was napping with the rest of the pride when he heard Asante and Daniel's calls. He lifted his head and yawned before looking in their direction. The human was riding Asante, who raced towards Pride Rock at full speed. The king knew something was wrong and roared as he stood up to rally the pride.

"Simba?" Nala gasped, rising up as well and sticking close to him. Her eyes widened when she saw Asante bolting towards them. "Asante, what's the matter?"

"A rogue just entered the Pride Lands," Asante said breathlessly as he came to a stop beside his parents.

"Timon and Pumbaa distracted him so we could get here first," Daniel explained.

"How long do you think they can distract him?" Kiara asked, hurrying forward with Kopa, Kiara, and Kovu.

A roar could be heard in the distance, as could the squeals of Timon and Pumbaa.

"I'm guessing not that long," Kopa noted dryly.

Pumbaa and Timon came rushing into sight, having circled Pride Rock to decoy the lion while Asante and Daniel made a beeline for the kopje. Pumbaa had an apple in his mouth and Timon was dressed in drag with a hula skirt, a purple flower lei necklace, and a pink flower tucked behind his ear.

"What in the world?" Kiara gasped.

"Don't ask," Simba sighed.

The large foreign lion charged into sight after them, his tongue lolling out hungrily. He skidded to a stop when he saw the pride and allowed the warthog and meerkat to escape, watching incredulously as the two animals took shelter behind the pride. "Uh, hello?" he said in a surprisingly soft and lyrical voice.

Simba stepped forward, quickly flanked by Kovu and Kopa. "I am Simba, Lion King of these lands," he declared in an authoritative voice. "Why have you entered my kingdom?"

The lion quickly bowed before responding. "I was sent by King Malka," the stranger explained.

Simba's eyes widened at the mention of his childhood friend. "Malka? You're from his pride?"

The stranger nodded. "My name is Nuru. Malka is my father."

Simba's expression softened. "If that's the case, then you are very much welcome here."

"Seriously, another lion tries to eat us and everyone's cool with it?" Timon scoffed from the back of the crowd.

"You did just give a song and dance routine offering Pumbaa up to be eaten," Asante pointed out.

"It was a bit unnecessary," Daniel said, climbing off Asante's back.

"I must confess, I'm a bit confused," Simba noted. "Malka told me he only had one child – a daughter. Would that be your sister?"

The stranger blinked in surprise. "My sist…" He trailed off and his eyes narrowed angrily. "No, that would not be _my sister_," the lion replied scathingly. "I'm an only child."

Simba stared at the stranger uncomprehendingly. "I don't understand."

Asante's eyes flew wide open. "Oh my…" He dashed to Simba's side, gently nudging Kopa out of the way. "Um, Dad," he said, "I think…" He leaned close to Simba's ear and whispered.

Simba turned to his son and listened to his whisper, his eyes slowly going wide. He turned back to the stranger and a nervous grin spread across his face. "Oh – uh – welcome, _Princess_ Nuru."

There were loud exclamations of surprise from several of the lions in the crowd.

"You're a chick?" Kopa scoffed.

Vitani jabbed Kopa hard in the chest, causing the prince to cough.

Nuru glared at Simba's Pride. "Yes, I'm a _chick_," he – err, I mean _she_ growled.

Now that the stranger's true gender was revealed, everyone could see it more clearly. True, she had a mane – a very bizarre characteristic for a lioness to have – but her body and limbs were slender and graceful like that of most other females. Her voice was a bit lower than usual but Asante remembered that his grandmother Sarabi had a very similar voice. As he studied the princess from the Pride Beyond the Mountains, her feminine characteristics became ingrained in Asante's mind.

Simba cleared his throat awkwardly. "Princess Nuru, my sincere apologies. We did not mean to insult yo…"

"Never mind that," Nuru sighed, waving her paw dismissively. "I'm not here for a social call. My father sent me to ask for your aid."

Simba's eyes widened. "My aid? Has something happened? Is Malka all right?"

"Yes," Nuru said, though her expression then turned uncertain. "That is, he was when I left." She cleared her throat and reasserted her composure. "There is a plague in our kingdom. Half of our pride is sick. My father said there was a baboon that lived in the Pride Lands. I think he said his name was – um…"

"Rafiki?" Simba offered.

Nuru nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. Father said he was a shaman and healer."

Simba frowned. "I'm sorry, Rafiki died a long time ago."

Nuru's expression fell. "Oh…"

"What kind of disease is it?" Daniel called out.

Nuru looked up and did a double take when she finally took notice of Daniel. Clearly, she'd never seen a human before. "Uh… I'm not sure what the disease is but the lions who get sick fall into a coma for three days. When they wake up, they're…" Nuru trailed off, her eyes looking haunted.

"They're what?" Simba asked in a coaxing voice.

"It's like they don't actually wake up. They open their eyes, they stand up, but mentally there're just not there anymore. They – they become violent and…" She cleared her throat and regarded the Pride Landers gravely. "They attack anyone who gets too close to them."

"Just like the elephant," Kiara whispered.

Simba looked over his shoulder at the human. "Daniel, how much medicine do we have left?"

Nuru's expression brightened. "Wait, you have medicine?"

"We just ran out," Daniel replied, "but I can make more." He turned to Nuru. "How many lions are in your pride?"

"Twenty-three," Nuru answered. Then she shook her head. "Sorry, no. Um, it's eighteen now. Five of the sick died before I left." Nuru had to take a moment to clear her throat again. "Others might have died since then."

Simba frowned sympathetically at Nuru and then turned to Daniel. "Can you make enough medicine to treat that many within an hour?" he asked the human.

"More than enough," Daniel replied.

"Good. We leave in an hour."

* * *

Simba and Nala stood with their children just outside the den. Simba regarded Kopa and Kiara solemnly. "You will rule in my stead till we return," he told them.

Kopa and Kiara glanced at each other apprehensively. The prince met his father's gaze. "Dad, I'm not sure that I – that _we're_ ready for this," he said.

"I believe you are," Simba replied, smiling tenderly at his children.

"Maybe you should be talking to Kovu instead of me," Kiara suggested.

"Kiara, you're an heir to the throne," Nala explained. "That means that Kovu is subservient to you."

"So – Kovu's actually the _queen_ in their marriage?" Kopa laughed.

"The technical term is _prince consort_," Simba told Kopa in a scolding voice.

"We've been referring to Kiara and Kovu as the future queen and king because those are the terms most animals are familiar with," Nala conceded, "but when the high ruler is a female, the official titles are queen regnant and prince consort."

"So, Kopa will be king, Kiara will be queen regnant, Vitani will be queen, and Kovu will be prince consort?" Asante ventured.

"Exactly," Simba said.

"Was Great-Grandmother Uru a queen regnant?" Kiara asked.

Simba frowned slightly. "No, the law was different during my grandparents' reign. Back then, the custom was that a male always stood as the high ruler, whether he was the heir or his wife was the heir." The king then smiled at Kiara. "When you were a cub, I decided to change that law because I believed you deserved the right to lead regardless of something as inconsequential as gender."

Kiara smiled a little. "Thanks, I guess. Truthfully, I think Kovu would make a much better ruler than me."

"Interestingly enough, Kovu told me he thought you would make a better ruler," Simba noted, stepping closer and nuzzling Kiara.

"So does this make me Kovu's boss?" Kopa interjected, smiling evilly.

Kiara shot her brother a dark look.

"Actually, I think it makes you Vitani's boss," Asante suggested objectively. "Kiara would be Kovu's boss."

Nala regarded her sons coolly. "So, by your logic, your father would be considered _my boss_?"

Kopa and Asante blanched slightly. "Dude, don't say a word," Kopa whispered to his brother. "It's a trap."

"It's not a matter of who's the _boss_," Simba explained solemnly. "In most respects, Nala and I stand as equals, just as Kopa and Kiara will stand as equals to Vitani and Kovu. It's just that certain responsibilities will fall to Kopa and Kiara alone."

"Yes sir," Kopa and Asante said in unison, avoiding their mother's stern look.

"Males," Kiara sighed disdainfully.

Kopa cleared his throat awkwardly but then looked to his brother with a mischievous smile. "So Asante, what do you think of Nuru?"

Asante stared at Kopa uncomprehendingly. "Um, she's okay, I guess. Why?"

"Well, Mom and Dad did talk with Malka about having you two betrothed." Kopa grinned darkly.

"WHAT!" Asante yelped.

"Kopa, stop teasing him," Nala scolded.

"Malka suggested we arrange a betrothal between you and his daughter," Simba explained to Asante, "but your mother and I decided against it – seeing as how the betrothals we set up for your brother and sister fell through."

"Wait, I was betrothed?" Kiara asked. "To who?"

"You don't want to know," Kopa said.

"Nuru seems nice enough," Asante conceded. "It's just – I don't even know her and…" He trailed off and scratched his mane awkwardly. "Well, she's sort of – different."

"I think what you're getting at is that she looks like a dude," Kopa ventured.

Asante glared at Kopa. "No – I mean, yes – I mean, when I first saw her, yeah, my initial impression was that she was male but that was only because of her mane." Asante blushed beneath his fur. "Well, that and her large size but besides that, she's clearly female."

"I didn't even know lionesses could grow manes," Kiara pointed out.

"I don't think any of us were aware of such a thing," Simba noted. "Still, that's no reason to mock her." He looked at Kopa pointedly.

"I was just kidding around," Kopa said defensively.

"Considering the tragedy that has befallen Malka's Pride, I think it might do us some good to show a bit more maturity right now," Nala suggested.

Kopa sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make light of the situation. I'm just worried and cracking jokes helps me deal with it."

"Kopa, there's nothing to be worried about," Simba assured his son.

"What if something happens to you two during the journey – or while you're with Malka's Pride dealing with the lions who've gone mad from the sickness?" Kopa countered. "How far away is Malka's Pride?"

"Nuru indicated that it took her about a day's journey to reach our kingdom," Nala replied. "Your father and I have traveled much farther than that, Kopa, and we're not going alone."

Kopa lowered his head and nodded. "Just promise you'll come home safely – please."

Nala moved closer and nuzzled Kopa. "We'll come back."

"That's a promise," Simba confirmed.

"I finished making the medicine," Daniel announced as he jogged up to the promontory, his backpack full of hollowed gourds containing red powder. "I also made some extra in case any more Pride Landers get sick while you're gone."

Simba smiled approvingly to the human. "Let's gather the pride then and determine who will accompany us."

Asante was about to speak up but hesitated. As his parents and siblings started to make their way down to where the pride was gathered, he sighed and silently followed.

"You okay?" Daniel asked, falling in step beside Asante. "You look bummed out."

"I'm fine," Asante replied.

Once the lions were all gathered in the fields, Simba held up a paw to gain their attention. The murmuring in the crowd died down and the king cleared his throat. "The queen and I will accompany Nuru back to her kingdom with the medicine. Kopa, Kiara, Vitani, and Kovu will rule the pride in our absence."

Kovu and Vitani took their respective places by their mates.

"What about the rest of us?" Babu asked.

"Most of you will also remain to protect the Pride Lands," Simba replied. "However, Malka's Pride may require additional assistance so I am requesting volunteers to accompany us on this journey."

"Shouldn't Daniel go too," Vitani suggested. "He knows how to administer the medicine."

Daniel was about to offer his backpack to Simba, not sure how the king would carry it, and glanced at Vitani in surprise when he heard her suggestion.

Simba regarded the human questioningly. "Don't you need to wait here for the other humans to find you?" he suggested.

Daniel thought about it. "Um, well…" He sighed ruefully. "Honestly, I'm starting to think that – if they haven't arrived by now…"

Simba nuzzled the human's chin consolingly. "You don't have to come with us if you don't wish to."

Daniel gazed at Simba for a moment and shook his head. "No, I think I want to come with you." He slung his backpack onto his shoulders.

"Timon and I can keep making medicine for any Pride Landers who get sick," Pumbaa offered.

Simba smiled at his friend. "Yes, that would be very helpful, Pumbaa," he agreed.

"Hey, it's easier than going off to treat a bunch of potentially rabid lions," Timon pointed out.

"You should take Rafiki's walking stick," Kopa suggested to Daniel. "You can carry some more medicine gourds on it – just to be safe."

"I'd also like to go," Mheetu declared, stepping forward.

"Not without me, you're not," Madoa replied, nudging her mate's shoulder with her paw.

"Can I go too?" Faraji asked.

"You three are very welcome to join us," Simba replied with a smile.

"What about you guys?" Faraji asked his brothers. They shook their heads nervously. "Wimps," Faraji mumbled.

"I'd also like to volunteer," Bado called as he stepped forward.

"I don't think so," Afua said, grabbing his son's tail and pulling him back.

"Dad, I'm not a cub anymore," Bado protested. He looked to his mother for support. "Mom, please talk to him."

Boga sighed. "Bado, I agree with your father. I don't think…"

"I'll watch out for him," Faraji offered, moving next to Bado and placing a paw on his shoulder.

Afua and Boga regarded the two youths for a moment. "All right," Boga said, earning an irritated look from Afua. "Just be very careful."

Afua sighed and looked at Faraji. "I suppose if Bado has you watching his back, there's nothing to worry about." He smiled a little. "You're a good friend, Faraji."

Faraji glanced at Bado and frowned sadly. "Yeah, a good friend," he mumbled.

"Any other volunteers?" Simba asked.

Asante started to lift his paw but hesitated, feeling his stomach flip over at the prospect of going somewhere unknown and potentially dangerous.

"All right then," Simba said when he saw no other volunteers. "Those of us who are leaving, take a moment to say your goodbyes."

As the lions who elected to go with Nuru nuzzled their family and friends in farewell, Asante sat on his hunches and stared sadly at the ground. He felt his parents nuzzle him lovingly.

"We love you," Nala whispered.

Asante nodded.

"We'll be back before you know it," Simba added.

"I know," Asante mumbled.

Simba raised his voice to garner the attention of the other lions. "All right, let's head out. Princess Nuru, if you'll kindly lead the way."

Nuru, who had been standing off by herself, nodded and turned to lead the caravan. Asante looked at her – watched as her slender limbs moved fluidly, studied the soulful glitter in her gray eyes, watched as she took the first step that would lead her out of his life…

"Dad," Asante called, hurrying to catch up with his parents.

Simba glanced at his son questioningly. "Yes, Asante?"

"I um…" Asante felt the same fear from before start to reassert itself but then he looked at Nuru again. The large lioness was staring at him inquisitively, her eyes fixed on his for the very first time. "I'd like to come too," Asante declared.

Simba stared at Asante in surprise. "Son…"

"Please," Asante insisted before his fear could sway him. "It's not like I have anything I need to do here and – I've always been interested in what was outside the Pride Lands."

The king considered Asante's request for a moment. He smiled and nodded. "Very well."

Asante nuzzled his father appreciatively.

It was only an hour before sunset when the caravan departed, Nuru leading the way with Simba and Nala walking side-by-side behind her, followed next by Mheetu and Madoa, then Faraji and Bado, and lastly Asante and Daniel taking up the rear. Simba glanced up at the stars starting to appear in the purple sky. He wished that they could have started the journey earlier that day and avoid traveling at night – but it couldn't be helped, seeing that Nuru had only just arrived an hour earlier.

At the back of the caravan, Asante peered over the shoulders of the other lions to see Nuru at the front of the group.

"Someone's got a crush," Daniel noted playfully. He and Asante were far enough behind so that no one could hear their conversation.

"Huh?" Asante gasped.

"Don't play dumb," Daniel laughed. "I saw the way you were checking out Nuru."

Asante blanched. "I wasn't…"

Daniel nudged Asante's shoulder. "Sure you weren't," he said knowingly.

"I don't have a crush," Asante claimed. "I just think she's interesting. I mean, a lioness with a mane – that's really unusual."

"I've actually heard about lionesses who grew manes before," Daniel noted. "They're occasionally found in the Okavango Delta of Botswana…" He noticed Asante staring at him blankly. "Yeah, you don't know where that is, do you?" he sighed. "Anyway, there have been a number of sightings in that area of maned lionesses. It's been theorized that they developed manes because they were exposed to unusually high levels of androgens while in utero, causing them to be masculinized."

Asante still had trouble following what Daniel was saying, mentally stumbling over certain words he used like _androgens_ and _in utero_. "So – is Nuru sick?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, she should be perfectly healthy. She's just a bit hairier and more buff than other lionesses. Although…"

"What?" Asante asked when Daniel trailed off.

Daniel frowned. "It's nothing…"

"Spill it," Asante said sternly.

Daniel sighed. "The maned lionesses that my kind discovered have – never been observed conceiving or giving birth so it's generally assumed they're infertile."

Asante looked ahead of the group, gazing at Nuru. "So she can't have any children?"

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know."

Asante suddenly felt very sad for Nuru, despite the fact that he didn't even know her.

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 11**

* * *

**Dear Readers: **Sorry for not posting in so long. Hopefully, with summer getting closer, I'll get some time to get a large chunk of the book done before real life reasserts its ugly head. Hope you all can bear with me. I promise I'll finish this book and not leave you all hanging, wondering how it's supposed to end.

**PS:** I added a scene to the end of Chapter 3 so that the transition between Rafiki's death and the four year time lapse isn't so jarring. Please check it out and let me know if you think the transition is better.

**PSS:** The information in this chapter on lionesses with manes is true. There are in fact lionesses in the Botswana region that have manes, and they are generally assumed to be infertile due to their high levels of androgens and low levels of estrogen.

* * *

**Regarding Lion Weight: **Some readers asked me about the size of the various lions in my fan fiction and I'm going to try and answer their questions here. Firstly, I'll list some recorded weights for real life lions and tigers to give you guys an idea about the scale of these animals:

550 pounds: Average Lion

670 pounds: Average Tiger

690 pounds: Largest Wild Lion

826 pounds: Largest Captive Lion

860 pounds: Largest Wild Tiger

1025 pounds: Largest Captive Tiger

Okay, now I'll break down the weights of the Aslan-sized lions in my _Lion King_ fan fiction. They're divided into three groups; smallish lions, average lions, and largish lions. Note that weight might not necessarily mean taller or shorter. A lion might weigh less than another because of their muscle mass. For instance, Scar (a smallish lion) was close to the same height as Simba (an average lion) and Mufasa (a largish lion) but Scar was skinnier than they were, which would mean he weighed less than they did.

700-800 pounds: Smallish TLK Lions (Scar, Ni, Kidonda, and Asante)

800-900 pounds: Average TLK Lions (Mohatu, Simba, list too long to write...)

900-1000 pounds: Largish TLK Lions (Ahadi, Mufasa, Leo, Faraji, and Nuru)

1035 pounds: Mheetu

1055 pounds: the lion with the elephant bone armor who fought Mheetu and Madoa in _The Lion King IV: The Rogue Pride_.

1075 pounds: Hasira (when he's full-grown)

**Note:** the weights above indicate weight of _full-grown_ lions. As adolescents, _Average_ TLK lions are roughly the size of smallish TLK lions until they grow up.

**Note 2:** I've mentioned in Chapter 1 that Kopa and Kovu have grown a little taller and more brawny than Simba. I should clarify that they are still in the average weight range (800-900 pounds). I have Simba at 850 pounds, dead center of the average weight range because I've always seen him as the lion version of the "everyman." Meanwhile, I have Kopa and Kovu closer to roughly 885-895 pounds, higher up in the average weight range but not quite in the largish weight range like Mufasa.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 11

The sun had already set beyond the horizon when Simba's convoy reached the mountains and there was a blanket of stars overheard. They traveled through a path between the mountains, high peaks looming up around them on both sides.

"This can't be right," Daniel mumbled.

"What?" Asante asked.

"These mountains," Daniel replied, continuing to walk as he fished out a map from the side pocket of his backpack. He had trouble handling the map with one hand and held his walking stick out to Asante. "Can you hold this?"

"Sure," Asante said, taking the walking stick in his mouth.

With both hands free, Daniel unfolded the map, which spanned from the border of Kenya down to Arusha. As Daniel studied the map, he almost tripped on a rock and Asante moved to help him. Daniel caught himself on Asante's shoulder and righted himself. "Thanks," the human said sheepishly, looking at the map as he continued to walk. "I may not be able to pinpoint my exact location but I do know that this area is supposed to be somewhere between Lake Natron and Mt. Longido."

"So what's the problem?" Asante queried, his words garbled by the stick in his mouth.

Daniel reviewed the topographical details on the map for a moment, using the moon as a light source. "There aren't supposed to be any mountains in this area – none this high at least."

"You sure that thing is accurate," Asante asked, still trying awkwardly to speak with the stick between his teeth.

"Yes," Daniel said, folding the map and tucking it back into the pocket in his backpack. He took Rafiki's walking stick back from Asante. "For some reason, no one noticed these mountains when they mapped out the area."

"How do you miss a mountain?" Asante scoffed.

"I don't know. How do lions start talking? How do ghosts appear to the living? This whole place doesn't make any sense."

Asante stared at his friend for a moment and then looked ahead, resuming his study of Nuru as she continued to lead the way through the mountains.

"So I take it the mane isn't a turn-off for you," Daniel ventured.

"Huh?" Asante grunted. "No – I mean, I'm not interested in her like that…"

"Then why do you keep checking out her tail?"

"I'm not!" Asante whined.

Daniel smirked. "I am actually curious about whether or not the mane is a problem in terms of attracting mates. As someone who's not part of your species, I'm having trouble gaging how important it is for a female to – well, not be so hairy."

Asante sighed. "I suppose it won't encourage males to court her but I don't think it makes her unattractive. Her size, on the other hand…"

"Yeah, she's a big girl," Daniel conceded. "I think she may be 150 or 200 pounds heavier than you – not that I'm saying she's fat," he clarified awkwardly. "She's just really tall and robust. She must really intimidate the males of her pride."

"At least she's not a male _without_ a mane because that would really suck," Asante laughed. "I can't imagine that's ever happened."

"Um, actually…" Daniel gave Asante an awkward smile.

"You got to be kidding!" Asante gasped. "You humans have seen male lions without manes?"

"Yeah, north of here in Tsavo, Kenya, there's a unique variety of lion with males that don't grow manes. Interestingly enough, they're much better hunters and are often larger than other male lions." Daniel glanced around at the behemoth-sized lions accompanying him. "Well, smaller than the lions in this area but larger than lions from other regions. They apparently have unusually high levels of testosterone, making them much more aggressive than other lions." Daniel shuddered suddenly. "In 1898, there were two Tsavo lions that killed something on the order of 135 humans." Daniel glanced at Asante and smiled nervously. "Um, not that I'm holding that against you guys."

"How do you know all this?" Asante asked. "It's like you humans have explored every corner of the world."

Daniel shrugged. "Not every corner."

About half an hour later, the caravan stepped out onto a plateau bordered on one side by forest. There was a sheer drop to their left that the lions made sure to stay well away from.

"Nuru, wait a second," Nala called out.

Nuru slowed and looked over her shoulder at the Pride Landers. "If we keep moving, we'll be there in three hours," Nuru insisted.

"Nuru, Simba needs to rest," Nala explained.

Nuru was about to argue but then she looked at Simba and saw how poorly he was doing.

"I'm fine," Simba protested weakly, his head lowered as he tried to catch his breath. Nuru could see his legs trembling beneath him as he struggled to stay standing.

Nuru sighed, recalling that Simba was about the same age as her father – which meant the Pride Land Lion King suffered the same ailments that Malka had begun to exhibit over the last couple of years. Their caravan had been traveling for nearly four hours and Nuru feared she'd overexerted her father's elderly friend.

"Dad?" Asante called worriedly, hurrying up to inspect Simba.

"Really, don't worry yourselves over me," Simba said with a smile, affectionately receiving his son's concerned nuzzle. "Let's keep going."

"No, your wife is correct," Nuru sighed, turning around and approaching them. "I apologize, I've been running you all ragged."

"Maybe just a little," Mheetu chuckled, sitting down tiredly with Nala and Simba. Madoa joined him and nuzzled Mheetu under his chin.

"Um, excuse me, Nuru sir…" Asante began.

Nuru shot Asante an irate glare.

"I mean ma'am!" Asante yelped. _Yeah, so those were the first words I've said to her_, he thought dejectedly. Asante cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's just – couldn't we stop here for the night and let my family rest?"

"I think that's up to Simba," Nuru replied. "We are still technically in his kingdom so he's in charge until we pass into my father's territory."

"Come on, Simba," Mheetu coaxed. "Me and Madoa are bushed – Nala too. We're not as young as we used to be."

Simba glanced at his wife and noticed the fatigue in her eyes as well. "Very well," he sighed. "We'll rest for the night but we continue on our journey no later than sunrise."

"I'll scout the area and make sure there aren't any surprises around," Faraji volunteered.

"I'll come with you," Bado offered, giving Faraji a secretive smile.

Asante coughed nervously as Faraji and Bado left the area.

"You okay?" Daniel asked.

"I'm fine!" Asante asserted tensely.

Not long after, the four venerable lions were sleeping soundly on the edge of the tree line while Asante and Daniel watched over them. Nuru rested on a large boulder several yards away staring out towards the northern horizon.

"Go talk to her," Daniel urged.

"No," Asante griped.

"I won't stop nagging you until you talk to her," Daniel threatened.

Asante groaned and stood up. "Fine," he hissed. "Anything to make you shut up!"

"Our little Sante's growing up," Daniel whispered teasingly.

"Bite me," Asante snapped over his shoulder as he walked over to the boulder and cleared his throat to gain Nuru's attention.

"What is it?" Nuru asked, glancing at him curiously.

"I just wanted to ask if you were okay," Asante said timidly. "You can't sleep?"

Nuru shook her head.

"I met your dad when I was a kid," Asante noted. "He helped our pride when Adui attacked us."

"I know," Nuru mumbled. "He told us when he returned from your kingdom." She glanced at Asante solemnly. "He also told us what Adui did to your grandmother Sarabi. I'm sorry you lost her like that."

Asante nodded. "Adui attacked your pride before he came to our kingdom, didn't he?"

Nuru nodded. "He tried to recruit some of our males and then killed my mother when she and my father confronted him." Nuru's solemn gaze drifted back towards the horizon.

Asante stood awkwardly for a moment. "I guess I'll try to get some sleep," he decided. "You're welcome to come rest with us."

Nuru smiled appreciatively. "Thanks but I don't think I'll be able to sleep until we get back to my pride."

Asante nodded. "Good night."

"Good night," Nuru replied.

Asante walked back to Daniel, feeling quite crestfallen.

"How'd it go?" Daniel asked, concerned over his friend's apparent melancholy.

Asante frowned. "It wasn't a train wreck, I guess," he mumbled, glancing at the older lions. His eyes widened. "Where's Mheetu?"

"He woke up and decided to go see what was keeping Faraji and Bado."

Asante tensed. _This is gonna be bad_, he thought.

* * *

Faraji and Bado weren't doing anything particularly indecent. They merely nuzzled each other, chests pressed together while they rubbed their cheeks against one another's manes. Bado loved the feel of Faraji's silky black mane and purred tenderly as he pressed his face into the crook of Faraji's neck. He paused when he heard Faraji sigh. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Nothing," Faraji whispered back, pressing his lips against Bado's cheek.

Bado moved back a little to look up at Faraji. "Tell me," he insisted.

Faraji's smile faded. "It's just – I feel like you're ashamed of me."

"What?" Bado gasped. "Faraji, I'm not ashamed of you."

"But you don't wish to tell our families about us," Faraji replied.

Bado lowered his head. "I'm afraid they won't understand. What if they stop loving us?"

"Your family could never stop loving you," Faraji whispered soothingly.

Bado moved back into Faraji's mane, trembling a little at the prospect of revealing who he really was to his family. "What if they try to separate us?" Bado moaned, his voice muffled against Faraji's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Faraji insisted, wrapping his forelimbs around Bado.

Mheetu stepped around a tree, looking for his son and Bado. He saw them and smiled, glad to see they were safe. He walked towards them, his smile slowly fading when he realized how amorously they were nuzzling each other.

"I will never leave you, my love," Faraji said, kissing Bado on the cheek.

"Faraji?" Mheetu said.

Faraji and Bado jerked away from each other and looked at the immense white lion in alarm. "Dad…" Faraji stuttered.

Mheetu stood silently for a moment, just staring wide-eyed at Faraji and Bado.

"Mheetu…" Bado whimpered.

Mheetu lifted a paw, closing his eyes for a moment. "It's okay," he said after a moment, though the slight tremor in his voice revealed his unease. "I'm just very – _very_ surprised."

Faraji moved over to Bado and wrapped a forelimb around his shoulders. "We're not doing anything wrong," Faraji told his father firmly.

Mheetu gazed solemnly at his son. "If that's the case, then why did you think it necessary to hide this from us?" he countered.

Bado closed his eyes and lowered his head, tears running down his cheeks. "Are you going to tell my parents?" he moaned.

Mheetu felt for the younger lion and sighed. He looked at his son sternly. "Faraji, we're going to discuss this with your mother tomorrow morning."

Faraji sighed. "Yes sir," he agreed.

Mheetu regarded the other youth, who continued to weep. "Bado, you need to get a hold of yourself. We'll figure things out in the morning, all right?"

Bado wiped his face with his arm and nodded.

"I'm going to head back to camp," Mheetu informed them. "I expect you both to return soon." With a troubled sigh, Mheetu turned around and walked away.

Once they were alone, Faraji pulled Bado back into his arms. The smaller male wept silently. "There, there," the burly male whispered softly.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Bado moaned. "He was so disappointed in us."

"Well, you have to admit he didn't react as badly as you thought he would."

"Faraji!" Asante called, dashing through the woods. He skidded to a stop when he saw his cousin and Bado. "Guys, you got to get back to camp," he insisted. "Mheetu's out here somewhere looking for you."

Faraji rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we already know."

Asante noticed Bado weeping into Faraji's shoulder. "Oh man," Asante sighed.

* * *

"Is something wrong with Mheetu?" Simba asked Nala and Asante as they stretched their limbs in preparation for the journey. The sun had not yet risen but the sky was turning yellow in the east.

Asante, who stood between his parents, looked up into the air evasively. "Um – I don't know," he said in what he hoped sounded like a nonchalant tone.

"I'm not sure either," Nala replied, watching as her large younger brother sat beside his wife, his face set in a hard frown while Madoa spoke with Faraji and Bado. The two young lions sat before them with disheartened expressions on their faces.

"Should we ask them what's wrong?" Simba asked.

"No!" Asante yelped.

Simba and Nala glanced at Asante in surprise.

"I mean," Asante stuttered, "well, it just looks like it's something private and we shouldn't butt in, right?" He smiled nervously.

Several feet away, Madoa continued to address her son and his lover. "Did you really believe we would think any less of you two for something like this?" Madoa sighed. "Honestly, the only thing that troubles me about all this is that you felt you couldn't be honest with us. Have we ever given you the impression that we were that narrow-minded?"

"No, you haven't, Mother," Faraji replied respectfully, wrapping a forelimb around Bado's shoulders. "But neither have you really given us any indication that you accepted individuals like us."

"Well," Madoa said uneasily, "I won't deny I'm disappointed. After all, you two can never sire children together…"

"That's what your other sons are for," Faraji replied wearily. "They already have girlfriends so if grandchildren is all you're worried about…"

"It's not," Mheetu said solemnly. "Have you considered the fact that there are lions out there who might try to hurt you because they don't accept how you choose to live…"

"See, right there," Faraji snapped. "That's why we were reluctant to tell you. You obviously don't get it if you think this was a choice!"

Mheetu sighed. "I misspoke."

Madoa regarded Faraji a moment. "Can you at least understand that it's going to take some time for your father and I to adjust to this – and that we will always love and accept you no matter who you take for a mate?"

Faraji nodded. "I suppose – _if_ you really do accept us as we are. _Do_ you accept that we're going to be together no matter what?"

Madoa looked at Mheetu and gave him an instructive look.

"Yes," Mheetu said, forcing an uncomfortable smile. "We are perfectly fine with this."

Faraji smiled and squeezed Bado's shoulders.

"Are you going to tell my parents?" Bado asked timidly.

Madoa shook her head. "No, _you and Faraji_ will tell them once we return to the Pride Lands. If you wish for Afua and Boga to accept your relationship, the best thing you can do is to be honest with them and stop hiding your courtship. I don't know how they'll react but I do know they will be angry if they learn about your relationship from someone else. You don't want them to be mad at you for lying to them on top of everything else."

Bado closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay," he said, looking as if he'd just been sentenced to a flogging.

"Buck up, Kiddo," Mheetu said. "Everything will work out in the end."

Faraji nuzzled Bado and gently nudged him, ushering the younger lion away.

As soon as Faraji and Bado were out of earshot, Mheetu turned to Madoa. "I am absolutely NOT fine with this!" he whispered tensely.

Madoa rolled her eyes. "Well, you'll just have to learn to be fine with this because it's not like we can force our son to marry a lioness when he has no attraction to females."

Mheetu groaned.

"It's not the bloody end of the world," Madoa scoffed.

"How are you not disturbed by this?" Mheetu demanded.

"Because I've lived with lionesses who were – um, like our son."

Mheetu's eyes flew open. "Say what now?"

"There was a pair of lionesses among the Outlanders who – were in love," Madoa explained. "They were close friends of mine and – I guess I just grew accustomed to them. They were perfectly decent individuals and we had no reason to reject them."

Mheetu continued to gape at Madoa. "Do – do they live at Pride Rock now?"

Madoa shook her head. "They died of old age while we were still living in the Outlands." Madoa nudged Mheetu's chin with her paw in a chiding gesture. "Give it time. You'll come to see that there's nothing wrong with our son or Bado."

"I never said there was something wrong with them," Mheetu protested.

"No, but there was a second there where you were thinking it, even if it was for just a brief moment." Madoa playfully flicked Mheetu's nose with her tail as she passed him. "Come on, we need to get moving and help Nuru's pride."

"Did I miss anything?" Daniel asked when he returned from answering the call of nature.

"No, nothing!" Asante squeaked.

"Asante, what's wrong with you?" Simba asked. "You've been edgy all morning."

"It's okay, Asante," Bado sighed as he and Faraji walked by. "You don't have to cover for us anymore."

"Cover for you?" Nala asked.

Faraji and Bado nuzzled each other openly in front of Simba, Nala, and Daniel. "Bado and I are in love," Faraji explained unabashedly, "and Asante was kind enough not to gossip about it."

Simba and Nala gaped at Faraji and Bado as the two youths continued towards Nuru, who was waiting patiently for the caravan to finish getting ready. The king and queen then turned their attention to Asante.

"Well good for them," Daniel said cheerfully, not noticing the king and queen's shocked expressions.

"It wasn't anyone's business," Asante explained defensively to Simba and Nala, "and I didn't want anyone treating them badly for just being different."

Nala scratched her neck apprehensively. "Your right, of course. What you did for them was very kind, Asante," she decided, smiling hesitantly at her son. "Faraji and Bado are lucky to have a friend like you."

"I – um…" Simba stuttered. "I suppose they – make a good couple, right?" He looked highly unsure of his statement.

"Why are you guys so bent out of shape?" Daniel laughed. "Homosexuality is very common among lions outside the Pride Lands."

"By the Great Kings, please stop talking about it!" Asante groaned. He stood up and followed after Mheetu's family.

"Are you Pride Landers always so melodramatic?" Nuru asked as Asante walked past her.

"You have no idea," Asante grunted.

* * *

Two hours later, they left the mountains and entered a lush jungle with a thick forest canopy. Simba realized that this was the same jungle where he and Rafiki relocated a troop of baboons when their home in Grass Walls was consumed by a drought. This had been nine years ago and Rafiki's old troop had since returned to Grass Walls after the drought lifted. Simba's caravan walked alongside a river near a waterfall and Simba recognized the spot as the same one where he and Rafiki spent the night with the baboon troop before returning to the Pride Lands. The king's heart grew heavy with the memory of his deceased friend.

Asante trotted up to Nuru, falling in step beside her. "How much long…" He trailed off when he again noticed how much taller Nuru was compared to him.

"What?" Nuru asked when she saw Asante staring at her.

"Uh, sorry, it's just I keep forgetting how – um…"

"How what?" Nuru asked suspiciously.

Asante coughed nervously. "Um, how much taller you are than me," he explained.

Nuru rolled her eyes. "If it bothers you…"

"It doesn't bother me," Asante assured her. "It just surprises me, that's all." He grinned nervously.

"You had a question?" Nuru reminded him.

"Right, sorry. How much longer till we reach your kingdom?"

"We're already in my father's kingdom," Nuru replied. "We should arrive at my home in an hour."

"Grass Walls is about seven hours from here," Simba noted. "After we've treated the lions in your pride, perhaps we should travel there and see if the Grass Walls Pride needs our help. They may have also been hit by the plague."

"The Grass Walls Pride doesn't exist anymore," Nuru replied.

Simba looked startled. "What? How? What happened to them?"

Nuru glanced at Simba's concerned look and laughed. "Relax, nothing bad happened to them. You remember that drought that hit Grass Walls nearly a decade ago?"

Simba nodded. "I had to help a troop of baboons leave Grass Walls back then."

"Well, my father invited the Grass Walls Pride to come live in our kingdom until the drought passed. Unfortunately, the drought lasted for four years and, by the time it lifted, the two prides had grown inseparable. So they joined together as one pride."

"Really?" Simba asked. "I can't believe I didn't know about this." He sighed remorsefully. "The Three Great Prides were once so close and communicated with one another regularly. Nala and I even visited the Grass Walls Pride once when Kopa was still young – before the drought. I should have kept in contact with the other prides."

"Don't beat yourself up," Nuru laughed. "I'm sure you and my father can work something out to keep our prides from losing contact again."

"How did you merge the two prides?" Asante asked. "I mean, both prides each had a leader. Did you institute a coregency?"

"What the hell's a coregency?" Nuru asked, staring at Asante blankly.

"Guess that answers that question," Mheetu noted.

"My son makes a good point," Simba noted. "How did your prides unite when they each had a separate ruler?"

"The royal families intermarried," Nuru replied. "My father married the heir to the Grass Walls throne – Pele."

Simba and Nala came to an abrupt halt. "Pele!" they both gasped.

Nuru stopped and looked at the Pride Landers questioningly. "Yes, Pele was my mother. Why so shocked?"

"It's just, um, we met Pele when we visited her parents nine years ago," Nala explained as she and Simba continued walking.

"She was just a cub then," Simba marveled, "which means she was five years younger than Malka."

Nuru shrugged. "It wasn't like my father had his sights set on her when she was a child," she laughed. "As my mother once told me, my father barely took notice of her when she was a child. When she grew up, she fell in love with my father and wouldn't take no for an answer." She smirked reminiscently.

"If we'd had Kopa betrothed to Pele, the Grass Walls Pride would have united with our pride," Simba noted.

"And then we would have fifty lions to feed instead of forty," Nala chuckled. "I think it's safe to say our pride is large enough at this point."

"What do you call your kingdom?" Asante asked Nuru. "We call ours the Pride Lands and Pele's Pride called their kingdom Grass Walls – so what's yours called?"

"We refer to your pride as the Pride Beyond the Mountains," Mheetu noted. "Would that make your territory the _Kingdom Beyond the Mountains_?"

Nuru laughed. "No," she answered, "because we refer to _your_ pride as the Pride Beyond the Mountains."

"Makes sense," Daniel noted. "From their pride's perspective, Simba's Pride is beyond the mountains from their kingdom."

"Okay, fine," Mheetu sighed sheepishly. "So, what _is_ your kingdom called?"

Nuru smiled as she paused by a thick wall of bushes. Grasping a branch with her claws, she drew the bushes aside to reveal the savannah where her pride lived. "Our kingdom is called…"

* * *

**Continue to Chapter 12**

* * *

_**"Okay, fine," Mheetu sighed sheepishly. "So, what is your kingdom called?"**_

_**Nuru smiled as she paused by a thick wall of bushes. Grasping a branch with her claws, she drew the bushes aside to reveal the savannah where her pride lived. "Our kingdom is called…"**_

_** "Narnia?" Daniel giggled, cutting Nuru off. "Is it called Narnia?"**_

_**"Cut!" the director shouted. "Enough with the Narnia references, Dan. You're killing me!"**_

_**"Ugh, I can't work like this!" Nuru snapped, storming off the set. "Let me know when the human is ready to be professional. I'll be in my trailer getting my mane conditioned."**_

_**"What brand do you use?" Simba called out to Nuru.**_

LOL, I couldn't resist. This idea just popped into my head while I was writing this scene and I had to include it with this chapter. It's sort of a continuation of an outtake that Angeltiger777 wrote in her review of Chapter 8:

_**Daniel sat awkwardly on Kopa's back for a moment, expression amazed. "I'm riding a lion," he declared disbelievingly.**_

_**"No kidding," Kopa grumbled. "Hold on to my neck or you'll fall off."**_

_**Daniel raised his spear up high. "For Narnia!" he shouted happily.**_

_**"Cut!" the director yelled.**_

_**Kopa sighed. "Dan, stick to the script."**_

_**Daniel grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."**_

* * *

**Writer's Note:** So here's the deal – I have no idea what to name Malka's kingdom. Here's what we know about it so far. It's on the other side of the mountains, a canopied jungle borders it, and there's a savannah in the center where the lions live (because lions don't live in jungles). So, I'm reaching out to you guys to help me come up with a name for Malka's kingdom. Please make your suggestions in your reviews and I'll pick the name I like best, giving credit to the reviewer who suggested that name in a writer's note at the beginning of the next chapter. A descriptive name (e.g. Grass Walls, Five Stones, etc.) would be best cause then I can formulate the appearance of the savannah around that name.

**Note 2: **I was informed of the maneless lions in Tsavo, Kenya by Queenlionness042096 in her review of Chapter 10. Thanks for bringing those lions to my attention, Queenlionness. It was really interesting to learn about them.

**Note 3:** Nuru's mother Pele was first mentioned in my short story _The Lion King: Responsibilities_ and I wanted to make a shout out to Islander27 because he's actually the one who created this character when he helped me develop the outline for _Responsibilities_. Pele was originally just an arbitrary name slapped into the short story to show Simba and Nala really thinking hard about who would make a good future queen for Kopa, going so far as to even consider lioness cubs from other prides. I randomly stuck Pele's home in Grass Walls without putting that much thought into it and I didn't have any plans to feature her or her pride in any of my fan fiction stories after _Responsibilities_ – the Grass Walls Pride was just sort of going to have one drive-by mention and nothing more – but as I was writing _Man Comes to the Pride Lands_, I started to wonder about Pele and her pride, getting this nagging urge to bring them more fully into _Man Comes to the Pride Lands_ instead of just leaving them as an obscure pride that is only mentioned and never seen. So, I caved in and squeezed them into the plot – by lazily merging them into Malka's Pride, LOL. It was sort of a two-birds-with-one-stone kinda thing; I wanted to cover both Malka's Pride and the Grass Walls Pride without bogging the story down any further because this book is getting RIDICULOUSLY long. Seriously, I'm realizing that what I initially thought of as side stories are actually full story arcs that probably should have been dealt with in their own short stories or books. Ah well, too late now.

It's unlikely but I might – _maybe, perhaps, possibly, not definitely_ – write a short story someday that chronicles Pele's life: how her pride is driven from Grass Walls by the drought when she's a cub; how her pride is given protection by Malka and his pride; how at the age of four years, she falls in love with the extremely older Malka and their marriage officially unites their two prides; how she and Malka have Nuru; and culminating in Pele dying after selflessly protecting Malka from Adui. If someone else would like to write this story, by all means go for it!

I'd like to end this tangent by reiterating that **Malka did not have his sights set on Pele when she was a cub!** Please, please, please don't interpret the story that way cause that would be so creepy! NO BAD TOUCHY WENT ON HERE!


	12. Chapter 12

**The Lion King V:**

**Man Comes to the Pride Lands**

Chapter 12

* * *

**Writer's Note:** I would like to thank everyone for sending me suggestions of what to call Malka's kingdom. The name I decided to use is from Bookworm Gal. Thanks a bunch, Bookworm Gal. What's your prize, you ask?

(Crickets…)

Um – yeah, I don't have any prizes but at least you get a shout out in my writer's note. That's cool, right?

(More crickets…)

So, without further ado: Simba's Pride lives in the Pride Lands, Pele's Pride lives (formerly) in Grass Walls, and Malka's Pride lives in…

* * *

"…Serpent River," Nuru declared, gazing fondly at her home.

Simba and his companions gazed in wonder upon Malka's kingdom. The human and lions stepped out of the bushes and gathered on the cusp of a high hill, surveying the savannah. The kingdom was about half the size of the Pride Lands and the umbrella trees were a little more densely clustered than in Simba's Kingdom but they were still spread enough to allow for hunting. The rippling green grass was nearly three feet high and covered the savannah.

It was obvious why the kingdom was called Serpent River; there was a large coiling river that curled back and forth across the grassy plains like the body of a snake. The waters were smooth and peaceful, the ripples glittering in the sunlight. From where the travelers stood, they could see a kopje near the center of the kingdom, nowhere near as large as Pride Rock but still impressive in size. It actually formed a bridge across the river, the water flowing through a large darkened tunnel beneath the granite mound. What especially awed Simba's caravan was that the kopje was shaped like the head of a serpent, the dark color of the granite making it look somewhat like a black-necked spitting cobra.

"Is that where your family lives?" Simba asked.

"Yes," Nuru confirmed. "We call the kopje Serpent's Head."

"I can see why," Madoa noted. "It sort of looks like a cobra."

"Let's go," Nuru suggested, brushing her tail around as she walked past Daniel.

"Huh?" Daniel yelped when Nuru's tail curled around his leg for a second, the tuft flicking his rear before she uncurled her tail and walked on. She gave him a playful wink. Daniel stared at the lioness blankly. "The hell?"

"What's the matter?" Asante asked, having not noticed as Nuru frisked Daniel's leg with her tail.

"Uh…" Daniel grunted.

"Hurry up, Boys," Mheetu said over his shoulder.

Daniel skittered nervously after the other lions, leaving Asante to stare at him questioningly.

After walking through the tall grass for several minutes, they stepped onto a path that ran alongside the river, which flowed south in the opposite direction.

"I believe this river feeds into the Zuberi River," Nala noted.

Faraji smirked. "So, if I pissed in this river…"

"Don't even think about it," Madoa growled.

"Just kidding," Faraji laughed nervously.

It was not long until the lions came to the kopje, discovering five lions and lionesses lounging about on some black lounge boulders. Several of them stood up and dashed over to greet Nuru, who nuzzled her friends happily while Simba and his companions waited.

"Look," Asante said, coming up beside Simba and pointing to Serpent's Head with his paw.

"What?" Simba asked, his gaze following Asante's gesture to a path that led up to one of the _eyes_ of Serpent's Head. On closer inspection, Simba realized the eye was actually a cave that led inside the kopje. Simba gazed at this cave and watched as a venerable lion with a golden brown pelt and a black mane stepped into the sunlight. The Pride Landers recognized the distinctive tufts of black fur on the lion's ears. His bangs fell messily over his face but as the bangs shifted, they could see the lion was missing his left eye.

"Malka," Simba said, smiling.

The Lion King of Serpent River smiled back and walked down the path to the base of Serpent's Head. Nuru parted from the other Serpent River lions and greeted her father. The princess of Serpent River dwarfed Malka as they embraced.

"What happened to his eye?" Daniel whispered.

"He lost it during the battle with Adui and his followers," Mheetu replied. He glanced at Daniel and noticed the blank look on the human's face. "We'll catch you up later."

Simba stepped forward and bowed to Malka. "Your Highness," he said, acknowledging Malka's authority in this kingdom.

"Simba, my brother," Malka greeted lovingly as he embraced his neighboring king.

"Brother?" Daniel asked.

"Not a literal brother," Nala explained. "When Malka was a cub, he arrived in the Pride Lands after being accidentally separated from his pride. There was talk at the time of Mufasa and Sarabi adopting him if they couldn't find his pride but then Zazu located his mother and she took Malka home."

Simba wrapped his forelimbs around the other lion for a moment before stepping back. "You look well," he noted.

"As well as I can be," Malka noted wearily, "what with the problems we've been having."

"How many of yours are sick?" Simba asked, frowning sympathetically.

"At the moment, nine," Malka sighed, glancing at his daughter as she took her place beside him. "One lioness died early yesterday morning. There's only seventeen of us now."

Daniel hurried over. "Can you show me the sick lions?" the human asked, pulling his backpack around to retrieve a medicine gourd.

Malka's gaze shifted to Daniel and his good eye bugged out in surprise. "Uh…"

"He's a human," Nuru explained.

Malka continued to stare at Daniel. "Uh…" he repeated.

"Daniel's a friend," Simba assured Malka. "He has medicine."

Malka stared at Daniel a moment longer before gesturing to the kopje. "Um, okay, come with me."

"The rest of you wait here," Simba instructed his companions. "Let's try to keep the disease from spreading. We don't know how much medicine we can expend." He walked after Malka with Daniel.

While they waited, the Pride Landers and Serpent River lions greeted one another and spent the hour talking. There was one awkward moment when a pair of Serpent River lionesses began flirting with Faraji and Bado until the two males revealed that they were _off the market_.

"I couldn't help noticing that there are only seven able-bodied lions in your pride presently," Mheetu noted to Nuru. "Shouldn't there be eight, seeing as you have nine patients and seventeen total?"

Nuru looked around. "Well…"

"Look, there's the eighth one," Faraji said, pointing to a lion who was approaching the kopje from the east.

Mheetu glanced to where his son indicated and his eyes widened. "I don't believe it," he gasped.

The lion that approached was a light beige colored male with a fiery red mane. The Pride Landers were stunned by his striking resemblance to their former queen Sarabi.

"Hija?" Mheetu called, standing up.

The other male came to a stop and stared back at the burly white lion. "Mheetu?" he asked.

Mheetu released a bark of joyful laughter. "Hija!" he cried, rushing at the smaller male and tackling him in a powerful embrace.

"Who's that?" Bado asked.

Nuru stared uncomprehendingly as the two males wrestled affectionately. "His name is Hija. He and his brother Fukuza joined our pride a couple of years before I was born."

Nala stared in amazement at her brother and his companion. She also rose and went to meet Hija.

"Okay, okay, I'm glad to see you too," Hija laughed, shoving Mheetu off before glancing at Nala. "Wait, is that – Nala?"

"Hello, Hija," Nala greeted fondly.

The other Pride Landers also stood up and approached Hija.

"How do you three know each other?" Nuru asked.

"Hija was once a member of our pride," Mheetu explained. "He, Fukuza, and I were all chased from the Pride Lands during Scar's reign." He nuzzled Hija happily. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Likewise," Hija laughed, nuzzling Mheetu back.

"Hija and Fukuza are Sarabi's nephews," Nala explained to the group, "the sons of her sister Naanda and a lion named Sadaka."

"Wait, wouldn't that make them Simba's cousins," Faraji pointed out.

Hija glanced at Faraji and nodded. "We heard from some migratory birds that Simba usurped Scar."

"That was nine years ago!" Mheetu scoffed. "Why didn't you and Fukuza return to the Pride Lands?"

Hija glanced over at Serpent's Head. "Well, by the time we heard, we'd already settled down here with Malka's Pride. We have families here – wives and children…"

"You could have at least visited," Mheetu noted resentfully, lightly smacking Hija's arm.

Asante stood a few steps back, apprehensively studying his apparent second cousin. Hija's resemblance to Sarabi disturbed Asante a little and he couldn't help shivering as his grandmother's murder threatened to draw him into another flashback.

"Something wrong?" Nuru asked, glancing at Asante with a raised eyebrow. The small male was trembling slightly and looked a little horrified.

Asante shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he replied.

"Simba just stepped inside with Malka," Nala explained to Hija, smiling warmly. "Wait till he sees you – he's missed you and Fukuza so much. Do you remember how close you three were? You and Fukuza were two of his best friends."

Hija shrugged. "Honestly, I was so young when Simba left – um, when Scar told us he died, I don't really remember him."

"Here comes Uncle Simba now," Faraji noted.

Simba exited the den of Serpent's Head and made his way down to where the other Pride Landers stood. "Daniel is treating the sick," he informed them. "Malka's keeping an eye on him but they said I should wait outside, seeing as there was no need for my help." His eyes wandered to Hija. "Oh, um, hello."

Hija stared at Simba for a moment before bowing his head. "Hello, Your Majesty."

"Simba, do you know who this is?" Nala asked.

Simba regarded the other male for a moment. "No, I'm sorry, I don't recognize you."

"Simba, this is your cousin," Mheetu explained happily. "Hija, Naanda's son."

Simba's eyes went wide. "Hija," he gasped. "I – it's just… I haven't seen you since you were an infant."

Hija nodded. "I'm glad you're still alive – and that you rescued the kingdom from Scar. I would have come to visit but – it's just – by the time Fukuza and I learned of your return, we'd also learned that our mother…" Hija swallowed a knot in his throat. "We heard she passed away."

Simba frowned sadly. "Yes, about a year after I overthrew Scar." He smiled a little and lightly touched Hija's shoulder with his paw. "Still, I think Naanda would be so happy to know we've been reunited."

Hija looked surprised by how affectionately Simba was treating him. "Um, I suppose."

Simba chuckled and took a step back. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just – we were very close when we were children. Of course you wouldn't remember, seeing as how young you were."

"Simba used to call you Mtoto," Nala pointed out with a smile.

Hija balked. "Mtoto? But that means _Baby_!" he said indignantly.

Simba smiled sheepishly. "Well, you _were_ a baby at the time."

"You remember when Hija and Fukuza were born?" Nala asked Simba. "Mufasa asked us to put together a choir to sing for them."

Malka and Daniel left the den of Serpent's Head and were making their way down the path to the base of the kopje, Daniel a few steps ahead.

Simba laughed. "My father assumed our choir would be a group of lions but I ended up bringing three frogs and an owl instead."

Hija smirked. "You know, I think I vaguely remember hearing some singing frogs…" Hija's eyes wandered to Malka and Daniel and his expression went blank with shock.

"I'm amazed you remember that much," Nala chuckled. "You and Fukuza fell asleep before the choir could even finish."

Hija shot past his cousin and the other Pride Landers with a violent roar, barreling straight for Daniel. "Lion Hunter!" he bellowed, claws unsheathed and fangs bared.

Daniel screamed and stumbled backwards in surprise.

"Stop!" Nuru shouted, jumping on Hija as he passed and easily pinning the smaller lion to the ground.

"Get off me!" Hija shouted viciously, struggling futilely beneath the powerful lioness.

The Pride Landers rushed to stand in Daniel's defense, positioning themselves between Hija and the human while Malka's Pride gawked in confusion and alarm.

"Hija, what is the meaning of this?" Malka demanded angrily.

"It's a Lion Hunter!" Hija shouted.

"Um, what does he mean by _lion hunter_?" Daniel asked, huddling fearfully near Simba.

"It's just some fairytale," Madoa assured Daniel, glaring wrathfully at Hija. "Don't pay him any attention."

"They're real," Hija insisted, "and that thing is one of them!"

Mheetu stepped forward and towered over Hija and Nuru. "Daniel is our friend," he told his old friend sternly. "Since the plague hit, he's been administering to the sick and has saved the lives of well over 200 animals. He's not a Lion Hunter."

Hija stopped struggling and glared at Daniel. "You don't understand," he told Mheetu darkly. "Fukuza and I went south and we found them! The Lion Hunters aren't a fairytale; they tried to kill us!"

Daniel felt a shiver run down his spine. _Is he talking about poachers?_ he wondered.

"I just watched as this so-called Lion Hunter treated every one of the sick lions in our den," Malka told Hija.

"You let it into our den!" Hija snarled.

"Yes, I let him into our den and I'm glad I did. Some of the victims are already recovering because of his medicine." As soon as he said this, a few groggy lions stepped out of the den and blinked their eyes clear in the sharp sunlight.

"I'm going to release you now," Nuru informed Hija. "Take one step in Dan's direction and I'll put you down. Understood?" Her voice had a deadly undertone to it.

Hija grumbled but gave a curt nod. As Nuru released him, he rose up and stepped away from Simba's group. "You're going to regret trusting that creature," he warned them. "He'll betray you all!"

"Piss off!" Madoa snapped.

Hija turned around and stormed away to Serpent's Head.

Mheetu sadly watched as his friend departed.

"I'm sorry," Daniel mumbled. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

Simba nuzzled the human. "You didn't do anything wrong, Daniel."

Daniel stroked Simba's head before speaking. "There's one lion left that I haven't treated," he informed everyone. "There were only eight lions in the den."

"But Malka, you said there were nine, didn't you?" Simba pointed out.

Malka sighed. "One of the sick lions woke up before you arrived. I assume Nuru informed you of what happens to the victims after they come out of the coma."

Simba nodded, his eyes filling with anxiety. "They become violent – rabid."

Malka nodded. "We had to chase him away from Serpent's Head to protect the other sick lions."

"Which one is it?" Nuru asked.

Malka regarded his daughter sadly. "Fukuza."

Simba's expression filled with dread.

"That's where Hija's been all day," Malka continued, "scouting the area to make sure he knows where Fukuza is – making sure he doesn't leave the kingdom."

Mheetu stared at Malka in horror. "This can't be happening. Not Fukuza!" His mind went back to the day when he parted ways with Hija and his brother.

_Fukuza regarded Mheetu sadly. "Goodbye, Mheetu," he sighed. "May the Great Spirit watch over you."_

"What happens to the sick lions after they wake up?" Bado asked. "You said that six of the lions in your pride have died."

Malka nodded. "About two days after coming out of the coma, the violent ones succumb to the illness and perish."

A look of resolution filled Simba's eyes. "How long ago did Fukuza come out of the coma?"

"Yesterday morning," Malka replied.

"So it's already been over twenty-four hours," Daniel noted nervously. "Fukuza only has one day left."

Malka nodded. "Unless he's treated before tomorrow morning, Fukuza will die."

Simba looked at Daniel. "Do you still have medicine left?"

Daniel nodded. "Seven gourds."

"We're going to take some of that medicine to Fukuza and administer it," Simba declared.

Malka frowned worriedly. "Simba, you've already done so much for us, saving eight of our pride members. I don't want you or yours to get hurt on our account."

"You remember what you said to me before we faced Adui?" Simba asked the king of Serpent River.

Malka regarded the king of the Pride Lands for a moment. "I remember," he sighed.

"You said, 'I am not a Pride Lander so you have no authority to tell me not to fight. I came here to assist you and that's what I'm going to do. You better just get used to it, my friend.'" Simba smirked at Malka.

Malka returned the smile. "Guess I should have expected you to throw those words back at me."

Simba chuckled. "My companions and I are not your subjects, which means you don't have the authority to instruct us not to help your pride. Besides, this isn't just a member of your pride we're talking about." Simba's eyes filled with worry. "Fukuza's my cousin."

Malka nodded. "Give me one moment to speak with Hija. He'll know where to find Fukuza." He glanced at Daniel. "I assume you'll be coming along?"

Daniel nodded. "I think so – I can handle the gourds better than any of you." He wiggled his thumbs. "Opposable thumbs and whatnot."

Malka nodded. "I'll make sure Hija behaves himself."

"Don't worry, Handsome," Nuru whispered to Dan, bumping his hip with her leg, "I'll watch your back." She winked at him.

Daniel froze and watched Nuru saunter off with her father to find Hija. There was a panicked look in his eyes.

"Dan, is something wrong?" Asante asked. "You look sort of queasy."

Dan shook his head twitchily. "I'm fine," he said.

* * *

A search party was gathered that consisted of almost all the healthy lions while three of Malka's lionesses remained at Serpent's Head to keep an eye over the few remaining lions still recovering. As the party left Serpent's Head, Hija walked in front to lead the crowd while Daniel was kept near the back – well away from Hija. Simba and Asante kept watch over the human.

Malka walked alongside Hija for half the journey and then fell back to join Simba. He walked beside his friend and smiled. "So this is the only way to get you to come visit?" he noted playfully. "Get half my kingdom sick with a deadly disease?"

Simba smiled back. "It's not as if you visited to the Pride Lands that often either."

Malka shrugged. "True, but you did visit Pele's Pride at Grass Walls. What, you liked them better than us?"

Simba shook his head. "I did plan to visit your kingdom," he insisted. "It's just – well, a lot happened in the Pride Lands that occupied my attention…"

Malka frowned sympathetically. "Right, with the Outlanders and Kopa's disappearance. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

"It's fine," Simba assured Malka. "Kopa's home now and the Outlanders have rejoined our pride. As I understand it, a lot happened with your pride as well." A roguish gleam came to Simba's eyes. "So, you and Princess Pele?"

Malka groaned. "Yes, I know, there was a significant age difference. Please don't make a big deal out of it."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Simba replied playfully.

The search party came to a stop near the edge of a forest.

"My brother was hiding in there the last time I saw him," Hija informed the party. "He may have moved on to another location, though."

"All right, you and four others go in and see if he's still hiding out in there," Malka instructed. "If he is, bring him out. Work together and take him as a group. Be very careful; in his current condition, he's extremely dangerous."

"He can't be that dangerous," Faraji scoffed. "He's fourteen years old, well beyond his prime."

Several of the venerable lions glanced darkly at Faraji.

"Uh, not that being old is a bad thing," Faraji specified nervously.

Malka harrumphed irritably. "Regardless of his age, we've seen many animals afflicted with this disease display uncharacteristic feats of strength."

"It may be that the disease is causing their systems to produce greater amounts of adrenaline and steroid hormones," Daniel ventured. "That would also account for their heightened aggression."

"I'm not sure what you just said," Nala noted, "but it doesn't sound good."

"Can your medicine cure them of that?" Hija demanded.

"We've seen the medicine work before," Simba replied.

Hija glanced at his cousin for a moment and then looked back at Daniel. "For your sake, it better work," he warned threateningly.

"For your sake, you better stay away from our friend," Faraji retorted, positioning himself between Hija and Daniel.

Mheetu also joined his son and gave his old friend a stern look as well.

Hija grunted and headed into the trees with four other lions from Malka's Pride.

Faraji glanced at Simba. "Uncle Simba, I know that guy is your cousin and all, but he's kind of a jackass."

A half hour passed while the others anxiously waited. Dan sat on a rock cradling his bag of gourds, staring towards the trees where Hija and his group had disappeared. Nuru came over with an impish look in her eyes.

"Oh God…" Daniel mumbled.

"Enjoying your time in Serpent River?" Nuru asked.

Daniel nodded. "Uh, yep." He glanced around for potential saviors and discovered none of the other lions were close by or paying any attention to them.

"Something wrong?" Nuru asked, her smile widening.

Daniel gulped. "Um, Nuru, I think we need to talk about something."

"Like what?" Nuru asked, sitting down and giving him an innocent look.

"Uh, it's just – um…" Daniel cleared his throat nervously. "Look, you're a nice girl and – if we were the same species, maybe…" He waved his hand in a vague gesture. "Thing is, we're not so…"

Nuru tilted her head. "Why Daniel, whatever are you talking about?" she asked, her lip curling with a suppressed smirk.

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "Hold on a sec," he said darkly, "are you messing with me?"

Nuru grinned. "That'll teach you for forcing your friend Asante on me."

Daniel gaped at Nuru. "I wasn't…" He trailed off. "How did you know?"

"You two weren't as subtle as you thought," she replied. "I figured it out just as we passed the mountains." She lightly swatted Daniel's arm with her paw. "I get enough crap from my dad about choosing a mate. I don't need the same nonsense from you."

"I wasn't trying to make you choose a mate, I was trying to get a mate for my friend." Daniel paused a beat. "That's the same thing, isn't it?"

"Yep." She settled down lazily in the grass.

Daniel glared at Nuru. "I'm going to get you back for that prank you pulled," he told her.

Nuru grinned unconcernedly at him. "Bring it on, Mr. Matchmaker."

"Just so you know, I'm very concerned that your kingdom has someone as vindictive as you next in line for the throne."

Nuru stuck her tongue out at Daniel.

"And what's wrong with Asante, anyway? Why won't you give him a chance?"

Nuru shrugged. "I didn't say anything was wrong with him," she replied. "I mean, he's kinda short but other than that…"

"He's not short, you're just freakishly tall."

"I prefer to think of myself as average while every one else in the world is short."

"That's not how the law of averages work."

"If Asante is really interested in wooing me, then he shouldn't need you to egg him on. If you back off and he continues to court me without your interference, then I'll try him out."

"Try him out? He's not a used car!"

Nuru stared blankly at Daniel. "What's a car?"

"Never mind," Daniel groaned.

Asante, Faraji, and Bado joined them a few moments later, the three youths anxious for Hija and his companions to return.

"What is taking those guys so long?" Faraji grumbled. "They've been in there forever!"

"You think you can wrangle a rabid lion with adrenalized super-strength in less time?" Bado countered sardonically.

"Maybe," Faraji shot back petulantly.

"Asante, you okay?" Daniel asked, noticing his friend's nervous expression.

"I think we're doing something wrong," Asante said. "I think there's something about the medicine that Rafiki told me – but I just can't remember…"

"We already know the medicine works," Bado pointed out. "Every sick animal Daniel used it on recovered. What else could there be?"

The five youths were startled by the sounds of maddened roars from the forest. A few moments later, Hija and his companions returned, dragging along a grizzled lion with yellowed spittle dripping from his mouth; presumably, this was Fukuza. He greatly resembled Hija save for the fact that he was a little bigger and his fur was darker. He glared at the crowd through eyes with a milky cast over them. He struggled violently but Hija kept a tight hold on the scruff of Fukuza's neck while the other lions gripped the psychotic lion's shoulders and legs with their teeth.

"Get the medicine ready," Malka called to Daniel.

The human hopped off the rock and ran over with an uncorked gourd. He paused a few feet away while Hija and his companions forced Fukuza to the ground and worked together to restrain him.

"Do it!" Hija snarled around the scruff in his mouth.

Simba and Malka hurried to Daniel's sides, keeping close just in case he needed protecting. Slowly, they moved closer to Fukuza and Daniel poured a handful of red powder into his palm. Taking a deep breath, he stepped up in front of Fukuza and blew the powder into the sick lion's face.

As Asante watched, something in his mind clicked and his eyes widened. At that exact moment, he remembered what Rafiki had told him about this disease and the medicine to treat it. "Daniel!" he shouted.

Daniel, Simba, and Malka glanced over their shoulders at Asante.

"The powder doesn't work after they wake up!"

Fukuza coughed and sneezed as the red dust filled his nose and mouth. Enraged by the perceived attack, his muscles coiled and his claws swiped outward at lightning speed, injuring all five lions restraining him and knocking them away. He shook himself agitatedly as Simba and Malka turned their attention back to him, the two kings converging to try and protect Daniel. The human took a fearful step back, clutching the gourd in his trembling hands.

"Father, get away from him!" Nuru shouted to Malka.

Fukuza turned his attention to the three creatures standing before him, his eyes instantly bypassing the two Lion Kings and settling on the wielder of the irritating powder, his milky eyes locking with Daniel's.

"Lion Hunter!" the diseased lion growled in a rasping voice.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Chapter 13**


End file.
